Springtime for Glee Club
by kaoru04
Summary: Junior Year.Artie's favorite cousin-OC-transfers to WMHS & makes life a little bit more interesting for the glee kids./Lengthy story with interconnecting storylines.Written BEFORE S1 Back9 AU now .Finchel-Artina-Quick./New Chapter: Honest
1. Artie's Cousin

_A/N:** I meant for this to be a very, very long narrative with story lines for the members of glee club. So, you won't see any stories about Will or Emma or Sue here unless it has something to do with the kids at glee. Ashley Abrams is a figment of my imagination. Although she's a main character here, not everything in this novel-length story is about her.**_

_**Also, please note that this story is in progress and was started after Season 1's Sectionals Episode, so it totally goes against the show's other details (like Quinn's baby's name, etc.).  
**_

_**Okay. So, here we go...**_

_**

* * *

**_Chapter 1

Artie's Cousin

* * *

It was 7:40am and the halls of William McKinley High School were crawling with teenagers that walked to their classes, gossiped by the lockers and held impromptu meetings. Ashley Abrams strode along with her flowing hair carrying only a gray leather clutch tucked under her arm. She wore an opened red trench coat that ended a few inches above her knees. Behind the ruby-colored hide was a black and white dress that was cut shorter than its cover. High-heeled black leather boots completed the whole ensemble.

Noah Puckerman, who was volleying a scrawny boy back-and-forth between his chest and his teammate's, tilted his head to see behind the huge sophomore varsity player. "Wait," he said holding the scrawny boy's shoulders. "Scram. Take little Harvey with you," he told the sophomore.

The two boys left without another word. Puck eyed the fashionista with a smirk and one eyebrow in the air. With his signature Mohawk and the way he stood, hands in the pockets of his faded jeans, there was no way to miss him. It was logical for her to notice.

She met his stare and curled her lips to a timid smile. But, her eyes showed no shyness, it burned against Puck's. Ashley stopped a couple of feet across him.

"You look like someone who frequents the Principal's Office," she said.

"You need a guide?" he asks in his most debonair tone.

"You can just point to me the right direction."

"It's a big school. Wouldn't want you to go missing now. I can be your escort."

She took a deep breath to maintain herself in check. She didn't associate herself with boys like this one. She doesn't even care to know his name. _This is what you get for trying to be sassy_, she told herself. And then, salvation. A wheelchair appears from the corner at the end of the hall.

Her eyes brightened as she looked past Puck. Realizing that he was no longer her focal point of view, he followed her gazed and turned to look behind him. His shock-stricken features returned to face Ashley.

"Never mind that. I just saw something I like." She, then, walked past him.

"You've gotta be kidding me," escaped from his lips as he turned to watch her walk towards the decrepit.

She paused and looked back at him with a sly smile. "There's nothing sexier than a guy with hot wheels," she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Puck felt dizzy with confusion. He stared, mouth-agape, as this insanely hot girl glided toward Artie Abrams. He and the other students who couldn't help but stare in the same level of bewilderment, watched as Artie flashed a sneaky smile before turning his chair and rolling beside Ashley. They turned to the corner and then they were gone.

Everyone scattered about to their classrooms. Puck, on the other hand, just stood there. Multiple questions came rushing into his head, but the one that ultimately lingered was '_Who was that?'_ The bell for first period rang, and it was only then that he strolled to his classroom.

* * *

Quinn Fabray smiled at a poster by the door of the Principal's Office. It was a week before Valentine's Day and everywhere announcements for the first dance of the new year was scattered about. She entered and greeted the secretary with a smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Pearson."

The woman, in her mid-50's, reciprocated the same warm greeting. "Hello, Quinn. Have a seat, Mr. Figgins will be with you in awhile."

Quinn turned to look behind the clear glass wall and saw Principal Figgins speaking to a dark-haired girl, whose face she couldn't see. The Principal caught a glimpse of Quinn and motioned for her to enter. Quinn looked at Mrs. Pearson, and the mature woman nodded.

"Good morning, Principal Figgins," Quinn said as she opened the door to his office.

"Quinn, come. Let me introduce you to a new student."

The girl across the table looked up at Quinn, flashing her perfect smile and her clear blue eyes. Up close, Quinn realized that she had deep dark red hair, which was not easy to spot unless cast against strong lighting.

"Ashley, this is Quinn Fabray. She's the student council president," Principal Figgins started.

"Fabray?" Ashley asked. "You _were_ head cheerleader of the Cheerios."

"I _was_," Quinn answered with a smile. She then turned to Principal Figgins to continue with the introduction.

"Quinn, this is Ashley Abrams," he said.

Quinn turned to Ashley with an expression that is one of delighted surprise. "Abrams?"

Ashley nodded. "I'm Artie's cousin. You're friends with him?"

"Well, yes. We're in Glee Club together." Quinn confirmed. Ashley's eyes brightened at this news.

"Ahh... a common ground," Principal Figgins declared. "This is very well. I'm giving Quinn free pass this morning to help you settle in," he said to Ashley.

"Oh, but she might be more comfortable if Artie—"

"No, this is fine." Ashley said, interrupting Quinn. "I would love to meet new people," she told the principal.

"Wonderful!" he said. "So, Quinn?"

Her pink lips curled up in an honest smile. "Of course."

Ashley and Quinn spent the morning together for a personal orientation of everything McKinley High. Ashley asked questions about the students, the teachers, glee club and the Cheerios. She was especially interested in the Cheerios.

They stopped side-by-side in front of the glass cabinet that housed trophies of arts-related achievements, several of which were won by glee club over the years, including those of New Directions. "That's our first," Quinn pointed to their Sectionals trophy the year prior.

Ashley nodded but her thoughts were somewhere else. "Quinn?" she started.

"Hm?" Quinn replied without taking her eyes off the evidence of their first win.

"I've been meaning to ask… Why did you leave the Cheerios?"

"I didn't leave," she said nonchalantly. "I was kicked out."

"Why?"

Quinn turned to Ashley with a smile on her face. "I got pregnant." The whole town practically knows about it already, she didn't see the point of concealing anymore. Besides, Ashley is Artie's cousin; it's only a matter of time before he'd tell her.

"Well, you're not pregnant now. Don't you want to come back?" Ashley asked, not the least bit rattled by the pregnancy news.

Quinn shook her head. "I think my time there is over."

"The entire school in exchange for the Cheerios."

It was a statement meant only for Ashley's consideration, but Quinn affirmed with a laugh "You could say that."

Getting pregnant and giving birth to the baby changed Quinn in so many ways. She's more attuned to real life now, and not just life in high school. Popularity is still something that she finds important, of course, but she found out that she can be popular in the way that she chooses.

So she ran for president. There were those who thought that her star had faded because of getting knocked up; but for some reasons, students had found her more appealing. Maybe it was because she ceased being ashamed of what happened to her and just embraced it. She didn't know what it was about her, really, let alone those people around her. But it was there. And she won in a most surprising landslide.

* * *

"So, you know her?" Mercedes Jones shot at Artie.

"Ashley," Artie said before sticking a spoonful of chowder in his mouth.

"It's been echoing all around that she ditched talking to Puck for you. True?" Kurt Hummel asked curiously. Artie nodded. "Wow" was all that escaped from Kurt's lips.

"She's my cousin."

"You're related to _that_?" Mercedes said pointing to the person who just entered the cafeteria. As if they were part of the conversation, everyone else in the room turned to look.

Ashley stood sans the red coat and bit her lower lip as she made a quick scan of the room. She was fully aware that all eyes were on her, but her concern was mainly on finding Artie. And when she did, she flashed her brilliant smile and walked to his table.

Kurt's jaw dropped as he stared at this… this… model, it seemed to him. She had a perfect stance and her walk was meant for the runway. It was the shoes, he thought. They were Jimmy Choo. Not many teenage girls in Lima walked around wearing high heels, let alone designer shoes. And as she came closer to them, he was met with familiarity on her.

"Donatella Versace!" Kurt exclaimed in a whisper as he stood. Everyone at the table looked at him.

Brittany leaned closer to Tina Cohen-Chang and in a low voice said, "I thought her name was Ashley." Tina shrugged, just as confused.

"Yes," Ashley said to him with a grin. She eyed Kurt and gave him an impressed nod. "Alexander McQueen. Very snazzy… I love it."

The students witnessed the exchange with murmured confusion. The names were alien to most of them. Could they be speaking in codes?

"Hey, Ash," Artie said unbothered.

"Artie!" She went behind his chair and bent down to wrap her arms around his neck.

Eyes widened anew.

"I love your vest," she said as she straightened herself.

"You bought it," he pointed.

Kurt scooted over to allow Ashley to sit down between him and Artie. She smiled at everyone. "It was a good choice, right? The vest?" The others nodded, surprised this time because she spoke to them as if they knew each other.

"Ash, these are all my friends," said Artie and proceeded to introduce them by their full names, beginning with Kurt and ending with Tina.

"Ahh… Tina," Ashley said under her breath as she eyed at the girl. Artie shot Ashley a look, which made her turn away to the others.

"It's nice to meet you," she began. "I'm Ashley, Artie's cousin. You can call me Ash. Are you all in Glee with him?"

They nodded.

"I've met Quinn Fabray. She's really nice."

Mercedes was the one to break the group's silence. She inquired into Ashley's perception of the school, since she obviously didn't look like a small town girl. "I just like dressing up, is all," she said.

She told them that she's not really new in Lima. She had spent summers here before and is fairly familiar with it. Although, she had to admit that it was the first time that she enrolled in a small-town public school.

Ashley considered herself a nomad of sorts—not really having a permanent home. Her mom's job didn't allow for them to stay at a city for long periods of time. In the past five years since her mom got her job, Ashley had been in three different schools in three different States. McKinley High is the fourth.

"What does your mom do?" It was Tina.

"Oh, you know, something in the government." Ashley waved a hand as if it was of no significance.

Just then, howls filled the already crowded cafeteria as boys in red and white football jerseys burst through the doors. Instantly and without another word, Brittany stood and sprinted to their direction. And then, a group of hooting girls in Cheerios uniforms emerged. Brittany was lost in them.

* * *

_**A/N: If you got this far, maybe you could leave a word or two for me. I'd really appreciate that. :D**_

_**Next Chapter: Ashley Abrams**_


	2. Ashley Abrams

_A/N:__** Thanks MeliB1987 and gigundoly for the reviews! Thanks thanks thanks!**_

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Chapter 2

Ashley Abrams

* * *

"Did you see me?" Finn Hudson whispered.

She rolled her eyes as she answered with a chuckle, "Everyone saw you Finn. You were towering all those boys. I thought you didn't have to be there?" Rachel Berry pulled a couple of books after returning one in her locker.

He shrugged. "The guys asked me to. They said freshmen girls would really dig it."

She slammed her locker shut. "So you took part in that raucous that they call an invitation in the cafeteria to show off to freshmen girls?"

"No," he replied quickly. Rachel was glaring at him now. "Not for me. For the guys."

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes again before she pivoted to the other direction and walked away.

"Aw. Come on, Rach." He called as he followed her. "Is this you jealous?"

Rachel stopped and turned to him. "What?"

One corner of his lips curled up.

"I am not jealous. Why would I be jealous? I don't care." With the way she said it, it definitely sounded like she cared.

"Really? 'Cause you're awfully defensive for someone who's not jealous."

"I am not defensive. Why would I be defensive?"

Rachel stared incredulously at Finn, who by this time was up to his ears grinning. He came close to her and cupped her face in his hands. He bent down and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"You're so beautiful when you're all jealous and blushing as you try to deny it," he said as he lifted his lips from hers.

"There's a motel 3 miles east, man." Mike Cheng smacked Finn's shoulder as he passed by. A few witnesses chuckled.

Finn straightened as he let his hands drop; his lips pressed together in a tight smile. "I guess we kind of deserved that, huh?" He said to Rachel.

She shook her head. "_You_ deserved it for making a scene." She chuckled as she waved a goodbye and pointed behind him.

Finn turned to see Puck walking nearer. When he turned to look at Rachel, she already had her back to him and was several feet away. "See yah, Rach!"

Last year brought a whole lot of drama to the once simple life of Finn Hudson. His girlfriend, his best friend and a baby girl that should have been his created a frenzy of emotions in his world. It took sometime before he cleared his thoughts and let go of his bitterness.

Rachel had told him once that he wasn't the kind of person that held a grudge. The next thing he knew, she was the one reminding him of the kind of person he really is—caring, understanding and forgiving. It was Rachel who helped him find compassion for Quinn. It was because of Rachel that he and Puck were cool again.

He owed Rachel a lot. If it wasn't for her, he'd be so far gone in hate that he would've lost all his friends.

"Hey, man," Puck said as he closed in.

"'Sup, Noah?"

"I saw you sitting with—wait up, what did you just call me?"

"What? You let Rachel call you Noah all the time," Finn said, grinning.

"It's a Jewish privilege," he said flatly. "Listen, I was gonna ask you about the new girl. I saw her sitting with the glee kids during lunch. You and Rachel joined in and got to meet her, right?"

"Oh yeah. That's Ashley Abrams."

"Abrams, as in—"

"Artie's cousin. She's hot, right?" Finn had a sudden realization and quickly said, "Don't tell Rachel I said that."

Puck rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you don't want to mess with that chick. She's nice and everything, but she looks scary. Like she's on a mission to take over the world," Finn warned him as soon as he saw that look in Puck's face—the one that he does when he's in his _I'm-such-a-stud mode_.

"Pfft. I'm not gonna do anything to her," Puck retorted.

"Yeah. I'm not so much worried about her as much as I'm worried about you. She's gonna break you, man."

"Please. You forget who you're talking to."

Finn nodded. "Uh-huh. You mean that guy who practically groveled for forgiveness?"

Puck shot him a look. "That's not cool, man." And then, he walked past him.

"You're Mr. Sensitive now?" Finn turned as he followed Puck with his eyes. "I was kidding! Why is everyone walking away from The Hudson today?" He called to him.

"Probably 'cause you're calling yourself The Hudson," said a girl's voice that was passing by.

"Oh, hey, Mercedes," he said as he watched her walk past him.

* * *

Sue Sylvester sat behind her desk, her back against her chair. She eyed at Ashley with suspicion. The girl looked at her with a serene smile—it bothered her. Girls like this are often soft; she could make them cry just by staring at them. There's something different about the one sitting in front of her.

"We're not holding tryouts anymore. And, I'm not sure you can do what my girls can do." Sue said with a frown. She liked girls with spunk, but not those that directed that spunk at her.

Ashley maintained her smile. "I'm surprised you don't remember me at all, Ms. Sylvester."

Sue's eyebrow met in between. Who is this girl?

"I'll give you a hint," Ashley began. "_Bad_."

Sue's eyes widened. Ashley's smile grew; she nodded slowly.

"Carver High?" Sue whispered in astonishment.

Carver High School in Copiague, New York won the National Cheer Dance Competition last year, beating out McKinley by seven points in the final count. "Archeers" is the name of their cheerdancers, a play of words to suit the school's championship basketball team, The Archers. Sue's jump rope routine rocked the house down and was a lingering talk in the walls of the competition stadium, until the Archeers took their turn.

They went on the titanic stage with nothing but blue and white pompoms in their typical blue and white uniform. All girls in position, heads bowed, hands on the side clutching their pompoms; and then, a voice echoes in the huge room. A girl in the center screams ala Michael Jackson. It was loud enough to make everyone in the audience hush up. Suddenly, a beat blares from the speakers—the intro to _Smooth Criminal_.

The girls look up, confused. They look around as if to say that it was the wrong song. But then, they begin to dance in perfect synchrony as soon as the lyrics of the song began to play. It was part of the show. The music jumps and what blasted from the speakers this time was the song _Bad_.

A few girls were left flat-footed, dancing in absolute togetherness, as the rest loaded up interconnecting pyramids that stretched to look like the Himalayas. Then, a perfect execution of a Released Pyramid Transition—they moved as if it was natural to be in continuous motion while each girl was supported only by 3 girls holding on to their feet. There was not a quiver in sight. Towards the end of the chorus, the girls held up on the pyramids flipped in perfect timing to the beat of the music.

With all the girls on the floor, they began to wrap up their routine with another song shift—_They Don't Care About Us_. And here is where Sue lost her Nationals trophy. Tumblings, individual stunts, jumps; it seemed as if every one of the girls were doing something different, and yet, it was organized. What could have been a messy finish was a smooth medley of movements, much like the music of their routine. It ended as it began, with a girl who screamed ala Michael Jackson.

The crowd roared after a second of silence; and Sue Sylvester knew that her Cheerios wasn't bringing home the first place trophy that year.

"That was mine," Ashley said, reeling in Sue, knowing that she had taken the bait.

"Which of it?" Sue asked, still skeptical.

"All of it. The music, the choreography, the whole routine. It was mine."

Sue leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table and clamped her hands together. "Are you telling me that you, on your own, thought all of that over?"

"Yes."

"And your coach had absolutely no hand in it?"

"Come on, Ms. Sylvester. You know Mrs. Lipps as well as I do. Do you really believe that she could have thought up something like that?" Ashley said, raising an eyebrow.

"You have a point."

"Well, would you like me to help you win this year?" Ashley asked with an obvious hint of excitement.

"There's a pep rally tomorrow afternoon. I want you to watch and then tell me what mistakes you see. I want to test if you really know what you're talking about."

Ashley nodded. "Fair enough."

Sue watched as the new girl walked out of her office, eyebrows still furrowed and mouth pursed with annoyance. But, as soon as she was out of sight, Sue's lips spread to a grim smile. She can already see herself taking home that trophy.

* * *

_A/N:__** Reviews would be greatly appreciated! :D**_

_**Next Chapter: Summer Drizzle; Characters in focus will be Puck, Quinn, Artie & Ashley.**_


	3. Summer Drizzle

_A/N:__** Thanks **_Love At First Fight_** for reviewing. Shout-out also to **_doodlemerry_**, **_SinisterSocks16_**, **_DiaDeLosMuertos_**, **_cinnamon-wolf-pup_**. And much much thanks to **_serenity2338_**, **_the. blue. power. ranger . x_**, **_Love At First Fight_** (again) & solid Glee fanfic fan **_scissorhands101_**.**_

_**I know the progress is slow, but we're building up the characters for now, so I hope you are all patient enough to join me in this writing journey. **_

* * *

Chapter 3

Summer Drizzle

* * *

Puck sat on a staircase, watching students walk to their last period. He held a bottle of sparkling water—strawberry. Quinn passed by without so much as a glance at him. He immediately stood and caught up to her. "Quinn," he called.

She turned but didn't stop. "Hey, Puck."

"Here." He handed her the bottle. "I know you're going home late again today, what with the dance nearing, I know you're pretty swamped. I thought you might want to have something to keep your energy up."

She stopped. "Um. Thanks," she said as she took the bottle.

He pressed his lips and nodded once.

"Okay. So, I better go. Still got last period." Quinn said.

"Yeah…" Puck began. She construed this as a gesture that she could leave now without being rude, so she pivoted and started to walk.

"Quinn," Puck called. She turned and went back to him, but her face could not conceal her impatience. "I was just thinking," he continued. "Maybe you'd like to go to the dance with me."

"I— didn't really plan on going with a date."

"It doesn't have to be a date. We could just go… together. You know."

She exhaled. She moved her head from side to side, looking if there were students watching them. Finally, she fixed her eyes on him. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Sure," he said; but she was already on her way.

Quinn walked without looking back, clutching the bottle in her hand. After last year's events, things were much less stressful now. Finn didn't hate her anymore. In fact, he was in the hospital when she gave birth to her baby girl. He waited with Rachel and the rest of glee outside the operating room. Puck wanted to be with her, he tried, but she couldn't look at him without seeing the cause of her downfall. She knew it wasn't just his fault, it was hers too; but staring at him just reminds her too much of all the pain she suffered, and she already gets a regular dose of reminder every time she looked in the mirror.

Her parents didn't take her back. Even after her big sister came home to talk to them, they wouldn't take her back; even after they saw their grandchild in the hospital nursery. Quinn couldn't be more devastated, but she didn't let up. When she held her baby for the first time, she knew that she would work hard for her. She would study hard to get into a good college, get a scholarship and eventually finish with honors so she could get a good job faster.

Will's parents took her in after she had given birth. They welcomed her lovingly like a daughter, and provided for her needs and the baby's. The hospital bills were paid, to her surprise and much gratitude, through a fund raiser hosted by New Directions and the Cheerios. They raised a total of $9,100 in just three weeks, through car washes and bake sales. Quinn's sister sends her some money too, just to help with the daily expenses. Puck also takes on all the jobs that he could, tightening his own belt just to be able to hand her some money.

Quinn could not believe how incredibly lucky she is that she didn't have to go through all of it alone. The truth is, she wasn't sure how she deserved to have all these people helping her.

"Mr. Schuester," Quinn called before he could enter his classroom.

"Oh, hey, Quinn."

"Your mom told me to ask you if you could come over anytime this week. I think it's about your dad and his car." She shrugged.

"Yeah, ok," said Will. "How's she?"

"She's fine," Quinn smiled, knowing that he had asked about her baby. "She laughed hysterically last night." His eyes brightened at this news. "She really likes Doodle," she concluded.

"Give her a kiss for me, will yah?" He said, patting Quinn's arm. She nodded.

The baby girl was a miniature version of Quinn Fabray in all aspects; but the first time she opened her eyes, they all saw the Noah Puckerman in her. She named her angel after her favorite thing: the season she loves so much because it's a time to be carefree. And, the baby's middle name was Finn's favorite thing, as well. In fact, the little darling has become everyone's favorite baby: Summer Drizzle Fabray.

* * *

They were beside each other on their way to the parking lot. He wheeled himself while Ashley strutted. "A lot of ramps. Very cool," she said.

"I know, right? It wasn't like that last year, there was only one ramp. All the others are new."

"I'm joining the Cheerios, Artie," she said in a quick change of topic.

He nodded. It wasn't a surprise to him; she was a very good dancer. "Tryouts are over though. Didn't Ms. Sylvester object?"

"She did. But I reminded her of her loss last year." Ashley smirked. "She told me to watch the pep rally tomorrow and point out to her the mistakes of her girls. A test, she said. I don't know why she's putting up with this charade; we both know she wants me in."

"You don't know, Ms. Sylvester. She's sneaky. You should be careful not to cross her, Ash. She'll break you."

Ashley stopped and crossed her arms. Artie turned to look at her, she had one eyebrow lifted. "You say that like you don't know _me_."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying, you're new her. Feel around first before you materialize into your snobby self."

She took in a sharp breath to emphasize her shock. "Arthur Abrams! I am _not_ a snob!"

"Aw, don't be so dramatic," he said as he turned back and proceeded to roll across the lot. "Between you and me, I'm the dork and you're the snob."

She began to walk too. "No, no. I'm a dork too. I just happen to dress better and have a thousand times more self-confidence than you."

He stopped on the passenger side of a blue Toyota Prius. "And you can walk," he concluded.

"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious," she said as she opened the car door.

Artie lifted himself into the passenger seat while Ashley tried to fold the wheelchair. After a couple of tries, she groans, "It's stuck!" She tries again. "My god, Artie, ever heard of grease?"

"Oh sure!" He begins to snap his fingers while singing the first line of Summer Lovin'. Ashley glared at him, making him stop and sink back. "Sorry. You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow. I didn't have time."

She stops struggling. "This is ridiculous. I'm in a dress, for crying out loud!"

"Need my assistance now?" Ashley turned to see Puck standing casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, great," she said sarcastically. "It's you."

He didn't wait for her to answer and took to the task at hand. He gave the chair a couple of nudge and eventually, it folded. He carried it without another word and walked towards the back of the car. Ashley followed and opened the trunk.

"Artie's your cousin, huh," he said as he put the chair in place.

"Yeah," she nodded, indifferent to his presence. "Thanks," she said as he shut close the trunk.

"Name's Puck. I'm Artie's friend."

With an eyebrow in the air, she scoffed at him. "Really." He nodded. She walked to Artie, who had already closed the door and rolled the window down. "You're friends with him?" She asked Artie.

"Uh," he looked at Puck, unsure; then, back to Ashley. "We're in glee together."

"_You're_ in glee club?" She coughed a laugh at Puck. And without waiting for an answer, she walked to the driver's seat, shaking her head in amazement, and started the car.

He smirked at how astounded she was. "I know," he said, following her. "I'm pretty bad ass for glee."

Ashley began to pull the car out of the parking space as she shook her head. "I didn't think a guy who looks like he hasn't showered in two days could actually sing a note," she laughed, and drove away.

He froze on the spot where he stood and looked down at his shirt. Two days, he thought to himself. Without even realizing it, he lifted his shirt and smelled it. He couldn't believe he looked like he hasn't showered in two days, because he did shower yesterday.

* * *

_A/N:__** Let me know what you think. I really enjoy reading your reactions. :D**_

_**Next Chapter: New Catalogue; Characters in focus will be Ashley, Kurt, Rachel & Puck**_


	4. New Catalogue

_**A/N: Thanks **_weasleymadchen_**! Shout out to **_Angie38_**, . & **_ParaCaerOuVoar_**! Much much love to **_I'llAdmitIt _**& **_Love At First Fight_**!**_

_**I had to edit a tiny detail in the story because it didn't make sense. A friend pointed it out and I'm very thankful. In Artie's Cousin, I meant to say first dance "of the new year" not "of the school year." The story was originally set to begin in the Fall, but I decided against it because, well, of the title. I realized that I wanted everything to happen during Spring. :D**_

_**Also, forgive me; I'm having a terrible, terrible case of the writer's block so I might not update soon enough! Ugh! I have a problem connecting the middle chapters and I hate it. Please bear with me!**_

* * *

Chapter 4

New Catalogue

* * *

It was the first week of March and the snow had finally melted. The air was still cool, but the coats had been resigned to the backs of everyone's closets. A new season has come. But, it wasn't just Spring that the people of Lima, Ohio hailed. The new girl had been a significant topic in McKinley High from the first day she had arrived.

"How's it coming along, A?" Sue asked as she caught up with Ashley on the way to her office from the teachers' lounge.

"It's going great, Ms. S! Don't worry, I'll deliver what I said I would," she said with a confident smile.

Sue smiled, too. She expects a lot from the girl, and she was confident that she _would_ deliver. She nodded and turned to the corner.

It was inevitable that Sue would give her a spot in the Cheerios—_open_ a spot for her, in fact. A junior was demoted to the benches as a substitute to make way for Ashley. This, of course, was the first of what could be the many to loathe her. She also gave way to Ashley's request to allow her to teach the girls a new routine that she wanted to show her as a surprise.

Sue gave her four weeks to complete the routine, but she was not allowed to take up the hours for regular Cheerios practice. So Ashley had to work with the girls during weekends. They didn't like it much, but under the strict order of Sue Sylvester, they were constrained to recognize the new girl's authority over them.

Ashley stopped in front of her locker. As soon as she opened it, Santana Lopez appeared beside her. "Why aren't you wearing your uniform? You know what, why don't you _ever_ wear your uniform?" She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Ashley rolled her eyes before turning to Santana. "It's 12:30. Practice isn't for another three hours. Why do I have to wear the uniform during class?"

"_Because_ you're a Cheerio."

"Everyone knows I'm a Cheerio. I don't see the point of rubbing it in. And, besides, I have awesome clothes. I'm not gonna let them rot in the closet when I should be showing them off."

"Ugh," the Latina said, rolling her eyes. She rotated, flipping her ponytail in the process, and stormed off. Ashley turned to close her locker and was greeted by Kurt on her other side.

"Nice burn," he said.

"Oh hey! I was gonna go and find you," she said excitedly. She dug inside her huge handbag and pulled a glossy book, much like a magazine. She handed it to Kurt.

"It's the new catalogue for Paul Smith," she said as he took it. "I thought you might appreciate that."

He bobbed his head with much delight as he began flipping through the pages. "Oh, I do!"

"They're opening a new store in the Beachwood Place Mall in Cleveland this weekend. There's a cocktail party in the evening. My mom got me in the guest list because she couldn't make it. Artie's not much into stuff like that, so, I was thinking…"

"Yes!" He exclaimed before the question even popped out.

"That's great," she said, just as excited. "Hey, Mercedes. I'll see you guys later, okay?" With that, she walked past them.

"What's that?" Mercedes leered to get a closer look.

"The new catalogue for Paul Smith. Ashley gave it to me. She's so sweet, right? And she invited me to the opening of its new store this weekend… in Cleveland! Isn't she the best?"

"Yeah…" But Mercedes was uneasy. She didn't want Ashley to be the best.

* * *

Rachel stormed into Will's office, stomping like a child. "Mr. Schuester," she exclaims. "I want to trade Perry Johnson."

Will, recovering from a millisecond shock, looked calmly at the girl who had her hands on her hips. "Trade him for what?"

"For anything," she said waving a hand. "For a monkey. I'll bet that would be easier to instruct."

He sighed. Will divided the glee club into two teams for a mini competition, much like last year's boys vs. girls mash-up contest. This time, however, it wasn't a battle between the sexes. He chose a leader for each team—Rachel vs. Finn.

"You can't trade members, Rachel. You chose him, you stick with him."

"I didn't choose him," Rachel corrected. "He was the last one left, I had no choice."

"Well, that's how a draft goes. And, you agreed to the process." There were six additional members in glee club this year: a couple of freshmen and four sophomores. One of the four is Perry Johnson, a member of the junior varsity football team, and practically a Noah Puckerman sidekick.

"That's before I knew what a draft is," she said quoting the word _draft_ with her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. There's nothing I can do about that now. It wouldn't be fair to the other team."

Rachel gave Will a look that says she's disappointed in him for his lack of cooperation. She does this whenever he doesn't give her her way. He just pressed his lips as a response. Rachel spun towards the door as she flipped her hair to create a dramatic exit.

She walked towards the auditorium in quick steady strides. She was annoyed and irritated that she had to face that boy again for rehearsals. She was cursing in her head and wasn't paying attention to where she was heading that she slammed against the hard back of another human being. "Ow!" Rachel yelped as she fell back. "Ow!" she said again as she hit the floor.

"What the—" Puck turned to see what had hit him. He saw Rachel, her butt on the floor, barely recovering from the collision. "Rachel? What the hell are you doing?" He said as he helped her up.

"I didn't see you," she said, rubbing her butt. She looked up at him and inquired, "Why aren't you at the auditorium with the others?"

"I was looking for you. No one knew where you'd gone when I came in and they're getting restless waiting." They began to walk.

"I talked to Mr. Schue about Perry."

"What about him? He's my boy."

"Then control him, Noah! He's delaying progress by making stupid unbefitting jokes and unnecessary remarks all the time. Maybe he doesn't understand that this is a competition because he's being very lax and distracting to everyone else. I don't want to lose to Finn, do you?"

Puck snickered. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? This is not Nationals, you know."

"See," she glared at him. "This is the kind of attitude that breeds losers. Seriously, Puckerman, if I had known you were going to be this indifferent, I wouldn't have picked you."

He raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Take it easy. I'll talk to him."

She exhaled a "thank you," and then there was silence between them. Puck cleared his throat; Rachel seemed to take it as a cue to speak because she suddenly asked, "How are things?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, not looking at her.

"You know, how are you?"

"I'm alright."

"How are you and Quinn?"

"There's no me and Quinn."

Rachel nodded. "Give it time, Noah."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

Rachel smiled inwardly. She gets Puck now more than ever. They don't always look like they get along when people see them. But, what a lot of them don't know is that he has Rachel's number on speed dial; and there had been times when he'd wake her in the middle of the night to have someone to talk to.

They were nearing the auditorium door when Rachel told him, "Talk him down, please. We won't be able to kick Finn's team's ass if he doesn't behave." Then, she hustled ahead of him and entered the auditorium.

Puck snorted and shook his head. He murmured "Feisty Berry" to himself before he disappeared into the auditorium, following behind Rachel.

* * *

_A/N_**_: Next Chapter: Taboo; Characters in focus will be Ashley, Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn & Rachel_**


	5. Taboo

_A/N_**_: I'm in great writing mood so... hurray! LOL! I'm actually fond of this one. I like the thought of Quinn & Rachel being at peace with each other. And I know this is a new Quinn, but I'm really into this version of her. I picked it up from the episode Mattress._**

* * *

Chapter 5

Taboo

* * *

"Oh, good! You're here." Quinn came to a screeching halt when she saw several glee kids hanging in the choir room during lunch period. Mercedes and Kurt were in deep conversation about a Barbra Streisand movie marathon this weekend; while Tina, Brittany, Mike, and one of the new kids were practicing a mash-up, with Artie on the guitar. They all stopped and turned their attention to her.

"What's up, prez?" Artie asked.

"I have good news and bad news," she said as she looked at each of their faces. "Good news is that we could compete in Nationals." They all reacted elatedly to this news.

"Even if we're just second to Vocal Adrenaline in Regionals?" asked Kurt.

Quinn nodded. "Apparently, Vocal Adrenaline was disqualified. Eight of their members were not academically eligible to join the club and compete. Taking out the eight would not have disqualified them in terms of numbers, but the Board decided to ground them as a penalty. So, now they're not allowed to go to Nationals."

"What's the bad news?" Mercedes interjected.

"Well… I don't think our budget could cover the expenses. Nationals is a long way from Lima."

"Where is it this year?" Artie asked.

"Miami, Florida. I looked over the budget for New Directions and we're on a really tight leash. I'm not sure if Principal Figgins will give us money for the trip." Quinn concluded with dismay.

"What did Mr. Schue say?" It was Mercedes.

"That he'll see what he can do."

"Does Rachel already know?" It was Artie again.

Quinn shook her head. "I was on my way to the lunch room to see if she's there."

"Hey guys," Ashley greeted as she entered the choir room. "Am I interrupting something important?" She went to sit on Artie's chair's armrest and put an arm on his shoulder.

Everyone greeted her and then Quinn answered her question, "No, we're just talking about some glee stuff. By the way, I need you to do me a favor, Ash. It's about the Cheerios."

Ashley nodded and smiled at the ex-head cheerleader. "Of course, Q."

"We might get to compete for Nationals," Artie told her.

"Oh, that's great!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Not really, we have a problem," Mercedes said.

"Oh," Ashley's enthusiasm faded instantly.

"Come on," Kurt said as he stood up and walked over to Ashley. He motioned for her to grab his arm. She did. "I'll tell you more about it on the way to class."

"See you later, Artie," she said as she began to keep up with Kurt. "Bye, you guys," she managed to say before Kurt completely overpowered her and dragged her out the room.

There was momentary silence that loomed among those left in the room. Quinn, who watched as the two left, quickly reverted her attention to where Mercedes was. It seemed as if everyone was a bit surprised by the recent scene too. They all snuck a glance at Mercedes.

She sat, dumbfounded. Kurt never left a room without saying goodbye to her. This was a first. The witnesses were all left uncomfortable because they knew it had affected Mercedes quite considerably.

* * *

Finn walked side by side with Rachel as they exited the lunch room. She discussed to him the importance of good choreography and he listened intently to her every word. They may be captains of rival teams, but they are still boyfriend and girlfriend. She was giving him tips on how to better the performance of his group without revealing her own team's gimmicks.

"I'm still a bit annoyed at you for picking Artie," she interjected in between her explanations.

Finn grinned at this. He knew she would have wanted Artie because he's the best guitarist in the group. He may be a cripple, but he's one of the best musicians in the entire school. And quite frankly, he wanted Artie in his team too. Finn is the first to admit that he's not exactly a genius in musical arrangement strategies and stuff like that. So, when the coin toss resulted in his favor, his first pick was Artie.

"You know I need him," he said. She sighed and waved a hand as if to say 'I know, I know'.

"How's your English paper coming along?" Rachel asked casually.

"Hm."

"Oh, Finn. Seriously, do I have to check up on you all the time?"

"I just said, _Hm_. What did you get out of that?" He asked, taken aback.

Rachel stopped and looked at him. She crossed her arms and went off like a machine gun. "I know you enough to know that that _Hm_ was a shortened version of 'I don't know what to tell you, Rachel, because I'm not very good at lying and I don't like it very much. But, I can't tell you the truth that I haven't started my English paper because I know you will blow up in my face and lecture me about responsibility.'"

His mouth partly opened with surprise. He took a glance at both sides from where he stood, a mannerism he does when he's not sure what to reply. Rachel knew she hit it spot on; she grinned at him.

"You know," Finn began. "That's the kind of crazy stuff you do that still makes me look under the bed."

Her grin faded as she rolled her eyes. He laughed at this and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, but she elbowed him on the stomach. Before they could take another step, a boy splashed strawberry slushie at Rachel. He chuckled as he ran from the scene of his crime.

Finn couldn't move, too stunned to even try. Neither could Rachel, so she just stood there while the beverage dripped on her shoes. The other students who witnessed the scene had mixed reactions: some giggled quietly, some were completely appalled. And then, a loud gasp echoed the halls.

"Rachel!" It was Quinn. She rushed to her and instantly took her by the elbow to carefully guide her to the nearest girls' room. "Do you have a change of clothes?" Quinn asked Rachel. The latter slowly shook her head.

The blonde girl turned to the jock. "Finn." He didn't respond. "Finn," she tried again. He snapped back from his astonishment and eyed the girl. "Find Kurt. Tell him what happened. He'll know what to do."

Finn nodded and pulled out his cell to make the call.

Quinn and Rachel walked slowly. It seemed like the trip to the girls' bathroom was longer than usual.

"Did you see who did it?" Quinn inquired.

"It—it was too sudden," Rachel answered. Throwing slushies on the faces of students have become an activity that was considered taboo since Quinn became president. She held a firm fist that it would no longer be tolerated. The day after this declaration, Dave Karofski slushied already-president Quinn Fabray in front of the lockers. But, the following day, Quinn went up to Karofski's lunch table with a slushie on her hand. She threw the drink on his face and said, "Fun's over Jungle Boy."

He murmured a fairly audible, "whore" and she slapped him instantly while his football teammates and the rest of the student body witnessed. Quinn bent down and hissed in his ear, "You do any of that again and I'll make you cry in front of all these people. Don't mess with me, Karofski. _I have the power here_."

Karofski swallowed in response. Quinn smiled and straightened her spine. She gave him a _friendly_ pat on the back and walked towards the exit, winking at the glee kids as she did. No one ever tried to slushie anyone since then.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel," Quinn told her, holding Rachel's hair while the slushied girl bent down to wash the sticky substance off her face.

"It's not your fault," Rachel said in between the rinse.

Quinn's phone rang. It was Finn. He told her that he was outside with a change of clothes, so she went to get it. When she came back, Rachel had already taken off her shirt and was using it to wipe the remnants of the beverage from her chest.

"Where's Kurt?" she asked.

"Finn said that he was with Ashley and they were discussing about a class report or something, so he couldn't come. Here," Quinn said handing her the shirt. "It's a good thing Kurt still brings extra clothes."

"You know," Rachel began. "It's kind of sad that Kurt's clothes fit me perfectly."

Quinn laughed. "Oh, just be grateful it does. Good thing your skirt is red and plaid, the stain isn't too obvious."

Rachel sighed as she buttoned up the shirt.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"I can't believe this is happening again."

Quinn shook her head. "No. It's a minor relapse, that's all. I am a bit disappointed at Finn, though."

Rachel looked at her with questioning eyes.

"He should've done something, don't you think?" Quinn said with one lifted eyebrow. She looked genuinely annoyed.

"Well, he was taken by surprise. I can't hold that against him."

Quinn exhaled, saying _Whatever_ in her head. There's no point in having this conversation with Rachel. The girl chooses not to see the boy's faults. She's really in love with him.

Quinn knows for a fact that Finn is a good guy; they dated for a few months after all. But, unlike Rachel, she was level-headed enough to be able to see that Finn needs to man up. Last year, when she looked at Rachel, she saw nothing but this pathetic girl who was all over her then-boyfriend. But now, she looks at Rachel and all she can think about is how lucky her ex-boyfriend is to have a girl love him the way Rachel does.

"Anyway," Quinn said. "I was going to tell you news about Nationals." And, they spent several minutes more by the sink discussing in all seriousness the glee club's predicament.

* * *

_A/N_**_: What do you think?_**

**_Next Chapter: Off to Cleveland; Characters in focus will be Artie, Ashley & Kurt_**


	6. Off To Cleveland

_A/N: ***Sigh* Nobody had any opinions at all about the new Quinn. Guess we're not on the same boat about her. Also, I had to edit in the past chapter... I just learned that the name of the hockey player who slushied Finn in the episode Mash-up was "Dave Karofsky," (it's in the credits at the end of the ep) hence, the necessity of correcting the prior chapter. And, finally, the song featured here is Not While I'm Around, Striesand's version of course. Anyway, on with the story… still. :)**_

_**Shout out to **_lacthryn18 _**for putting this in your story alert! And much love to **_Em-Jaye_**!!!**_

* * *

Chapter 6

Off to Cleveland

* * *

"You should have taken Kurt with you," Artie said as he wheeled into the Lima Mall. "I won't be of much help to you, you know."

"You will be of great help! I don't have to carry my bags," Ashley said with a wink.

"Real sweet, Ash," he noted with sarcasm.

"I'm trying to spend time with you, you nitwit." She gave him a light tap on the back of his head. Even though there wasn't much force in it, Artie bowed too far down that his chin touched his chest.

"Why are you shopping for clothes anyway? You can just wear one of your dresses that you got. They're all nice."

"It's a cocktail party with big personalities in this part of the country attending. There will surely be photographers and media men covering the event, I have to look nice just in case I get a cameo. And I'm not really shopping. I just want to check out if they have something nicer than what I got."

Artie grunted as he began to follow Ashley around while she checked store after store for clothes that she's not really shopping for. Occasionally, she would enter a store that sold Men's fashions to check out clothes for Artie. She was indulgent of her cousin in that way, except that Artie never really liked it when Ashley tried to give him a make over. And he found it ridiculously embarrassing when she would pull out a shirt and make him try it on.

Eventually, she was able to swipe her mother's credit card. She bought Artie a new pair of gloves to be used for pushing his chair. Then, they went to have dinner at Subway.

"I'm seriously baffled at how you're not obese and yet you eat worse than a pig," Ashley said as she watched Artie take a big bite of his sandwich. He shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows, which made Ashley laugh.

"How's the Cheerios thing going for you?" he asked as soon as he was free to speak. "What'd Ms. Sylvester say about your routine?"

She shook her head. "She hasn't seen it yet. The routine is working out very well. The girls are really good… when they started listening to me. I have to thank glee for training Santana and Brittany to sing while dancing; made things easier for me."

"Oh, you're singing in this routine?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm gonna blow Sue's mind! Come watch us, okay?"

"Yeah, 'course."

"So. How are you and Tina?" Ashley asked, smug.

"We're good," he said nonchalantly.

"I notice that she's hanging out with Mike a lot," she asked, trying to be casual about it.

"They got a lot of classes together."

"You're not jealous?" she eyed him. "Like, at all. You're not jealous at all?"

"Nope," he said before taking another huge bite of his sandwich.

"Pfft. Such a liar." And that was the end of that. Ashley knows him enough to let it go and change the topic. He obviously doesn't want to talk about it. But, when he's ready to say anything, she knows she'll be the first person he'll turn to.

* * *

Kurt and Ashley started off the three-hour drive to Cleveland at one in the afternoon. She had to end Cheerios practice earlier that Saturday to make way for her trip with Kurt. They took Kurt's SUV, and decided to take turns driving. The journey was not uncomfortable for the two. They had enough things in common to defy any kind of boredom. In fact, they were very much enjoying the company of each other.

"Why'd you decide to stay at Artie's place, anyway? I mean, why not be with your mom in D.C.?" Kurt asked, keeping his hands steady on the wheel.

"My mom's waiting for a promotion. She said, at the end of the year, we might fly off to another country if she gets it. We might stay there for awhile; so, I thought I could just spend some time here in Lima before that happens… _if_ that happens," she explained casually.

"You're really close with Artie, huh?"

Ashley smiled at him. "He's my best friend; my brother, even. Our dads lost their parents when they were very young. Growing up, they only had each other so their bond was really tight. It was inevitable that Artie and I would be as close as they are because our families get together all the time; especially when we all lived in Cincinnati."

"So, how'd you end up moving away from each other?" Kurt asked, glancing at Ashley.

"Well, when my dad died of cancer, my mom started working extra hard for me. She got promotion after promotion and she needed to leave for different States for each job she got."

"But you still come here for summers?"

"Uh-huh. I can't stand being so far away from Artie, I really miss him a lot. He's always been the only one I can talk to without having to worry about image or anything like that. You know, I hated it that I couldn't be there beside him after the accident happened. I hated that I couldn't comfort him." Ashley paused and sighed. It all came back to her like it was yesterday.

For a time after the accident, Artie wouldn't take her calls. It devastated Ashley that she didn't know how he was. Her mom kept telling her not to worry because Artie's dad said that Artie was fine, but she knew that Artie wasn't fine. At least, emotionally, he wasn't fine. Finally, summer came and she flew to Ohio the same day school was over. She ran to Artie's room as soon as the Abrams' front door opened for her; and the first thing she saw was this object that didn't belong—a wheelchair—and he was sitting on it.

She flung herself to Artie and cried. And, Artie held her close and he cried too. When his parents finally got to the entrance of the room, they saw a couple of eight-year-olds crying. Artie's mom sobbed as she fled the scene, and his dad ran after her; then he cried with her too. The house never knew such sorrow since the first night Artie came home from the hospital.

He was glad to have Ashley back; but his parents were even more joyous of her return. Artie became more responsive since she got there and, eventually, she got him to go out of the house. Ashley tried to make Artie realize that the chair shouldn't be a hindrance for him to do what any normal kid could do. He was mostly frustrated at first because he found it really difficult to try to be normal, but he didn't give up.

But summer ended, and she had to leave. But she came back the next year, and the next, and the next.

Ashley smiled and looked at Kurt. "So, anyway, half of summer we spend here, and half of it, we spend wherever I was living at the time. At first, his mom didn't want to let Artie out of her sight—she kind of got overly protective of him after the accident—but, eventually she warmed up to the idea when I showed her that I could take care of Artie."

Ashley reached for the volume of the stereo and tuned it up a bit.

"Oh my gosh, you love this song?" Kurt exclaimed with much excitement.

She nodded as she began to sing.

"_No one's gonna hurt you_

_No one's gonna dare_

_Others can desert you_

_Not to worry, whistle, I'll be there."_

Kurt joined her and they sang as if they were performing on stage. They made hand gestures and eye contact at each other and, occasionally, at the passengers in the cars that they pass by or those that pass by them. They would laugh in between their singing when they get funny looks from those people.

"That was really good," Kurt said after the music faded into another song. She does a humble bow and mimics Elvis Presley's "Thank you, thank you very much."

They made a short stop at a gas station half-way to their destination. They gassed up, took to the restrooms and bought some snacks before continuing on their way. Ashley took the wheel this time.

"I was just wondering, Kurt," she began. "Is Artie into anyone in school?"

"Not that I've heard of. Although," he said as he turned to her. "We thought that something was going on between him and Tina last year, what with them being together a lot."

Ashley's lips spread to a smile. "And?"

"Well, nothing apparently."

"Oh."

"Didn't he say anything to you? He must have mentioned her."

Ashley shook her head. "No, he never said anything. I mean, I know a little bit about glee, but that's it. He's very secretive sometimes, even to me." She ended with a sigh.

This was a complete lie, though. Artie told her everything about Tina: from the first time he saw her in a different light to the time she confessed about her fake stutter. She knows more about Tina, through Artie's eyes, than any of his other friends. Ashley was just checking if she could discuss issues about Tina and Artie with Kurt. Obviously not.

"But you know, you got people talking about you and Artie when you first came here."

She laughed and nodded. "You should have seen everyone's faces! That guy Puck? His expression was priceless!"

"Okay, honey," Kurt began with a serious face. "You do know about Puck, right?"

Ashley nodded. "Yeah. Artie gave me a crash course on Noah Puckerman; and the Cheerios filled in on everything else that Artie didn't know. Don't worry, I've met guys like that. I know how to handle him."

"Well, he's not exactly a _bad_ guy …"

"The fact that he's in glee club is a testament to that. But, I know what you're saying. And, thanks." She flashed him a smile and he returned the favor.

* * *

_A/N_**_: Next Chapter: Knight in Shining Mohawk; Characters in focus will be Ashley, Rachel & Puck_**


	7. Knight in Shining Mohawk

_A/N: **Shout out to **_philabustu _**& **_Ana Luiza4_**! And much much love to **_kaelaelameee _**(hope this is not too late). Some reviews would be nice. :)**_

* * *

Chapter 7

Knight in Shining Mohawk

* * *

Artie's dad picked him up that afternoon. Ashley had Cheerios practice and he didn't really feel like doing nothing and just waiting for her so he decided to go home early instead. Halfway through his house, however, he realized that he'd left his textbook for History in the choir room. He called Ashley, asked her to retrieve the same, and bring it home with her.

Ashley had already changed into her Cheerios uniform when she spoke to Artie. Practice wasn't until 4pm but she'd taken it upon herself to require the girls to come earlier that week so they could make short run-throughs of the secret routine. After taking Artie's call, she told Santana (who had now willingly become Ashley's second-in-command) to do the tumbling medley again while she's gone.

The hall leading to the choir room was empty now. All the fluorescents had been turned off and the only source of light came from the sunset that leaked through the windows from the classrooms. The choir room door was open but the lights are turned off. She flipped open the switch and made a scan of the room from where she stood. The book sat on one of seats. Ashley walked straight to it, grabbed the book, and turned on her heels for the door.

She stopped halfway, catching the bare keys of the grand piano. _It had been a long time since I played_, she thought. She looked at the open door and waited for a few seconds, probably for someone to appear, but no one did. She decided to check the hall anyway, just to be sure. Her head peeked at the door and looked in both directions. Finding the hall empty, she went to sit on the piano stool and rested the book beside her.

Ashley ran the fingers of her right hand against the keys before landing her middle finger in one of them. The note rang with an echo, and she was already lost with that single sound. She placed both hands lightly on the keys; then, she began to play the introduction to Alicia Keys's _Superwoman_.

_Everywhere I'm turning_

_Nothing seems complete…_

Meanwhile, Puck was on his way to the boys' locker room to change in his baseball uniform. He had just come from the Student Council's office and was passing by the hall where the choir room was at. He heard a faint music from the room; the piano was being played. Thinking that it might be Rachel, he decided to proceed to the choir room. He had news for her.

As he got closer, a singing voice complemented the music. But, he realized, it wasn't Rachel's voice. Well, he was a few feet away from the door; he might as well just look who's in there. So, he stopped in front of the open door and was greeted with a surprise. A girl, her dark red hair tied in a high ponytail, sat behind the huge piano. Her eyes were closed as she sang and played, oblivious to him watching.

_I stand up and I'm searching_

_For the better part of me_

_I hang my head from sorrow_

_State of humanity_

_I wear it on my shoulder_

_Gotta find strength in me._

_Cause I am a superwoman_

_Yes, I am._

Ashley stopped as soon as she saw him at the doorway. She quickly stood and said, "Sorry. I thought glee didn't have practice today."

Puck nodded once and walked closer to her. "Yeah, you're right."

"Okay." She reached for the book and slid away from the piano. "Well, I have Cheerios practice. So, bye."

He alighted her, making her stop on her tracks. "You're very good, Ash," he said, towering her.

She turned away and exhaled an annoyed "thanks."

"Join glee. You'd easily kick Rachel's ass on a diva-off."

She looked at him, confounded. "A diva—?" She shook her head and stepped back. "I like everybody in glee. And, I would love to be in a club where I get to spend more time with Artie, but I've been to 3 different schools to know that it's social suicide for the new girl to join a bunch of high school outcasts."

"You're already queen of this joint. What are you worried about?" he said, taking a step closer to her.

"Do I look like I'm glee material?" she said, side-stepping closer to the exit.

He smirked. "Do _I_ look like glee material?"

She smiled condescendingly at him. "You were already a loser before you joined glee. There was no reputation to protect." She saw that his eyebrows furrowed at this, but she continued, "I know about you, Noah Puckerman. I gotta say… you're a hell of a character."

He looked away as he pushed his hands in the front pockets of his pants. He was beginning to regret his curiosity. _I should've just walked away when I heard that it wasn't Rachel singing_, he thought.

"If anything, glee actually improved your horrendous image," she shrugged.

"You know," he snapped. "I'm trying to be nice to you. I don't know what I did to _you_ to make you hate me so much…"

"I don't hate you," Ashley interjected in between his half-suppressed tirade, but it was so soft that he couldn't have heard it.

"… I'm sorry I said anything. Don't worry, this loser's never gonna bother you again." With that, he left the room as calmly as he entered.

Ashley watched quietly as he walked past her and out the door. She held in place, listening to his footsteps until it had faded into silence.

* * *

Puck got to the intersection where he'd stopped when he heard music playing in the choir room. As soon as he turned right to head to the exit, the voice he was looking for rang in the background.

"Noah!"

He stopped and twisted halfway, just enough to be able to look behind him. He raised a hand to Rachel as a sign of acknowledgment and waited for her to catch up. "You waiting for Finn today?" he asked the moment she was close enough.

"Yeah. I didn't bring my car," Rachel said, then signaled for them to proceed towards the door.

"I found out who the kid was that slushied you," he said casually.

"Oh yeah?"

"Some freshman. A senior guy talked him into it."

Rachel sighed in response.

"Hey," he stopped and turned to her. "None of that. It's not happening again, okay. I took care of it."

An eyebrow lifted. "You took care of it?" she asked. "What does that mean?"

"I didn't hurt the kid, if that's what you want to know."

Rachel exhaled in relief.

"But," Puck continued. "I did hurt the senior."

"Oh, Noah," she groaned with disappointment.

"You have to scare those kinds of people, Rach." He started walking again.

"Well," she said as she tried to keep up. "Who's the senior?"

He pushed open the door as he declared, "Damon Hoffe."

Rachel's eyes widened. "But he's in your basketball team."

"I think he's still pissed off that Finn became captain, despite being a junior."

She shook her head. "He slushied me, not Finn."

"Right. Hit him where it hurts the most." He sniffed. "'Course, he should've known better than cross my best friend's girl."

Rachel stopped. As soon as Puck realized this, he spun to check on her and found her frozen in place. "What?" he asked.

Her lips slowly spread to a smile and then stretched further to a grin. "You defended my honor!" she exclaimed.

"Wha— shut up, Berry," he said, practically jumping over to her to cover her mouth.

Rachel moved away before he could get to her and giggled. "Oh how chivalrous of you, Noah!" she teased.

"Keep it down, damn it!" He hissed as he went after her.

"Why? Everyone should know about your heroism!"

He caught her wrist and pulled her to him, turned her around so that her back was against his chest, wrapped his arm around her waist and clamped his free hand on her mouth.

"Okay. Let go," she muffled as she desperately clawed him with her one free hand.

"Promise to behave?" he whispered in her ear.

"I promise, Noah." He let her go; and she took in a sharp breath as soon as he did.

"You're killing my badass rep with all your pansy talk about your honor and stuff," he pointed out.

Rachel chuckled. "But, seriously, thanks."

"I did it for Quinn, you know."

"Did you now?" Rachel taunted, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said as he placed his hands on his hips. "They need to know that Quinn's serious about this no-slushie-facials business."

"Uh-huh," she nodded, one eyebrow still in the air.

He shrugged.

"In any case, it was still very knightly," she concluded.

Puck felt a blush coming on; he was very flattered. But, he couldn't be showing people that, so he bowed down, turned his head right, left, anywhere, just as long as Rachel doesn't see.

"You're my knight in shining Mohawk," Rachel said as she took a step towards him. "Thank you, Noah."

Puck turned to look at her, but his focus went to Finn. He was a few feet behind Rachel, walking closer to them. "Hey, Finn," Puck said as he nodded to him, ignoring Rachel's last statement.

Rachel whirled around at the mention of her boyfriend's name. "Hey, you!" she exclaimed as she went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What's going on here?" Finn asked, an innocent smile on his face.

"Just catching up with our good friend, Noah," Rachel said as she flashed Puck a smile.

"I'm gonna leave crazy here with you while I change into my uniform," Puck said with a smirk. Rachel and Finn watched him turn and walk away before they focused on each other.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Bothered Thoughts; Characters in focus will be Mercedes & Finn**_


	8. Bothered Thoughts

_A/N:_ **_Shout out to_** Lovely Laughing **_&_** BetterIdeal! **_Much love to_** DaleSnail!!!

Well, the reviews aren't coming at all. But, that's okay. I'm just having fun writing anyway. Thanks to everyone who is reading and being very patient with the development of the story. :D

* * *

Chapter 8

Bothered Thoughts

* * *

Glee practice ended with a sad note that day when Will told the kids that they had a serious problem about their finances. They needed money for airfare and hotel stay, and the school simply does not have the budget to accommodate them. For a while, they discussed what they could do to raise money—because if they wanted to compete in Nationals, they _had_ to find a way to raise their own money. But then, they all just ended up with carwash and bakesale.

"Get creative, guys. Let's think of what we can do to make this work, okay?" Will said before finally dismissing the group.

"Hey, Kurt. I need to buy something at the mall. Wanna come?" Mercedes asked as they headed for the door. Kurt was walking beside Artie while Mercedes was beside Tina, who was pushing Artie's chair.

"Oh. No can do, sweetheart," Kurt said falling behind in order to be at Mercedes' side. "I'm going over at Artie's."

"Artie's?" Mercedes asked, puzzled. Kurt never hung out at Artie's house unless it was glee-related matters. There wasn't any new competition among the members that she knew of, and the last one had ended weeks ago.

"Ash's gonna show me her headband collection. Did you know that she has a total of 42 headbands? 6 of those are Jennifer Behr." Kurt said it like it was some kind of archeological discovery.

"Who's Jennifer Behr?" Mercedes inquired.

"Only the hottest head piece designer right now!" he snapped as if she posed a blasphemous question. "Those things are at least a hundred dollars each!"

"Oh. Well, that's why I didn't know. I couldn't afford it." Mercedes shrugged.

"Listen, I'll see you tomorrow okay? I'll take pictures so you'll see them too." Kurt said as he gave her a quick hug and skipped towards Artie.

Kurt and Artie waved goodbye to Mercedes and Tina before heading to the field to wait for Ashley until she's done with Cheerios practice. The two girls watched the boys as they looked smaller and smaller.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Tina asked, not turning to the girl beside her.

Mercedes was silent for a few seconds before she nodded and answered, "I'd like that very much."

* * *

In the parking lot, Finn kissed Rachel goodbye before she climbed into her car. Finn had practice and Rachel had somewhere she needed to be with her parents. Once her car turned to the street, Finn started walking towards the gym locker room. He caught sight of Quinn exiting the side door of the school with stacks of envelopes on her arms.

"Hey, wait up," Finn called as he sprinted to her aid. "Give me that, Ms. Fabray."

"Oh thank goodness," Quinn said as she slid the envelopes into Finn's arms. "You're very kind, Mr. Hudson."

She guided him to the direction where her car was parked.

"What are these?" he inquired.

"Just some stuff I have to organize," she answered nonchalantly. "Hey, did you know that we already know who slushied Rachel?"

"No. No one's told me yet."

"Kirk Patterson, a freshman. I checked him out after I knew his name. He's a good kid in middle school, actually. So we interrogated him and asked what possessed him to do something that vile. And then, we got another name. Hoffe."

"Wait," Finn interrupted. "Damon Hoffe?"

"Yeah. Senior, black and, apparently, very furious that you were appointed captain of the basketball team."

"So… he took it out on Rachel?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, really. But don't worry, we took care of it. We already got him in the bag. I hate playing shrewd but these idiots need to know who's boss."

Finn snuck a glance at Quinn. He'd always known her to be feisty, but after becoming president, she just scares the crap out of him. In the middle of his musings about Quinn, something clicked and recoiled to what she'd just said. _We took care of it._

"Who's we?" he asked.

"Puck and his _gang_," she said, making quotation marks in the air.

"Puck?"

She nodded as she opened the door of the passenger side of her car. "He was the one who tracked down the culprit and dug dirt on this Hoffe creature." Finn bent and placed the envelopes on the seat. "You ought to thank him for looking out for Rachel," Quinn directed as she slammed the door shut.

He looked at her blankly before he nodded.

"Alright. I should go. Thanks for the help, Finn."

"Yeah, no problem," he said as he watched her get in the car. "Thanks for telling me about Hoffe."

"Sure! See you tomorrow!"

* * *

The girls drove to the mall in Tina's newly-acquired car. It's actually bought from her dad's friend, but the car was in extremely great shape that people thought it was brand new. Although Tina could feel that something was bothering Mercedes about Kurt, she didn't ask her about this. Instead, she started a conversation about glee's predicament.

In the mall, they proceeded to do Mercedes' errand first before they walked around, looking for things that they could buy. Mercedes tried a couple of outfits, but she ended up buying nothing. Tina was just there, more concerned about Mercedes than any clothes she'd seen. Well, except that black tutu skirt that had caught her eye, she'd tried on, and eventually bought.

As soon as they were out of the mall, Tina finally got to asking Mercedes if she was okay.

"I'm fine. I guess," she answered.

"It's about Kurt, isn't it?"

Mercedes didn't answer. Tina decided not to press it. They got to her car without another word spoken between them. When they got out into the street, Mercedes spoke. "I just miss him. We haven't really been hanging out for awhile."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

Mercedes shook her head. "He has a new friend. That's cool. I can't tell him not to hang out with other people."

"Ashley's really nice. Why don't you join them when they go out?"

"I tried, but when they're together I feel like a third wheel. I can't keep up with what they're talking about. She's so sophisticated and classy. I'm just a small town girl." Mercedes sighed. She was overcome with an inferiority complex: something that she's never had before. She has an extremely high self-esteem and nobody in McKinley has ever made her feel like they were above her—not the Cheerios, not the seemingly "cool" cliques. But, Ashley was different.

"You have a great fashion sense, Mercedes. I find it hard to believe that you can't keep up with them."

"Believe it, girl. She's so advanced in fashion. I mean, she's been going to Fashion Weeks since she was 13. She was in Paris Fashion Week last year. Seriously! What kind of teenager does that?" Mercedes leant back with a sigh of defeat. "Kurt adores her so much. I'm just scared that I'm losing my best friend."

"Oh, don't think that. Kurt loves you dearly," Tina said as she reached to touch Mercedes' hand.

Mercedes turned to Tina, pressed her lips and looked away.

* * *

_You're my knight in shining Mohawk, _Finn heard Rachel tell Puck the other day. He never got around to asking her about it when Puck left. He got distracted and forgot; because everything about Rachel still distracts him—the way she smiles at him, the way she touches him.

Puck stepped to the plate and swung the bat a couple of times. Finn looked at him from the mound. _Thank him for looking out for Rachel_, he remembered Quinn say. Finn _was_ grateful that Puck would look out for his girl; but he didn't feel right about it. He didn't feel right that someone else other than him would look after his girl. It should be him doing all that.

He heard clapping and turned to his coach who was waving both hands at him. Finn looked to his left and saw an opponent move back to first base. He turned to Puck and threw the ball.

"BALL!" called the umpire.

"Head in the game, Hudson! Damn it!" Puck yelled, rubbing the part of his arm that the ball hit.

"Damn it, Puckerman, no swearing!" interjected Coach Tanaka.

Finn raised a hand and called, "Sorry, dude!"

_Shit, shit, shit,_ Finn repeated in his head. He didn't mean to hit Puck. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a couple of times. He pushed away those concerns for the moment because he needed to focus on something else. No untoward incidents occurred for the rest of practice after that.

When Coach Tanaka called, "Hit the showers!" ending the day's practice, Finn caught up with Puck on the way to the shower room.

"Hey, man, sorry about awhile ago," Finn said.

"It's cool. What's wrong with you anyway?" Puck asked.

Finn shook his head. "Just tired."

Puck nodded and said, "Yeah, I get you. I have to run to the supermarket for my shift."

"Hey, Quinn told me about what you did. Thanks."

"Yeah, I'm just making sure they know how serious Quinn is about her rules and shit like that."

"I still appreciate you looking out for Rachel, though."

Puck smirked. "Don't get used to it. I'm not carrying your weight for you," Puck said as he walked away toward his locker. Finn didn't know what to retort anyway, so he just walked towards the opposite direction, to where his locker was.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Ditching at the Last Minute; Characters in focus will be Ashley, Kurt, Quinn & Mercedes**_


	9. Ditching at the Last Minute

_A/N: **Shout out to**_ JessRulz, Yun Min **_&_** torifire126!

* * *

Chapter 9

Ditching at the Last Minute

* * *

"Hey, good-lookin'," Ashley whispered in Kurt's ear before she sat beside him.

"Where were you? You're late," he whispered back. "I have insane gossip that I've been holding in this entire period!"

Kurt and Ashley had Study Hall together and they've always spent the hour talking about anything under the sun. Occasionally, they do their homework assignments; but those are desperate days and it rarely happens. On that day, however, Ashley was 30 minutes late; and she didn't even text Kurt to tell him where she was at. Kurt has been very restless.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, honey. I had to discuss something with Santana. We're doing our big presentation to Ms. Sylvester next week."

"Oh my gosh, that's right. When is it?" Kurt asked.

"Monday or Tuesday. I'm not sure just yet. Don't worry; I'll give you a heads up. I want you there, okay?" Ashley said, touching his left cheek with an index finger.

"Duh," Kurt said, rolling his eyes.

"Another thing… do you have plans next Saturday?"

Kurt raises a finger and takes out his new Blackberry, which his dad gave him this recent Christmas. He made a scan of his calendar and then dropped his shoulders, turned to Ashley and said, "Mercedes and I are taking a trip that weekend. Her Aunt Lois is getting married… again."

"Oh," she reacted with much less enthusiasm. "Well, you know, don't eat too much cake." She turned and took a book out and began with her homework.

Kurt saw that she was really disappointed, sad even. Ashley realized that he was staring at her, so she looked at him and asked, "What is it?"

"I'm really sorry, Ash."

Ash straightened up and smiled, taking his hands in hers. "What are you talking about? It's okay. There'll be other shows."

Kurt smiled and squeezed her hands. "Thanks for understanding."

"Of course."

"I'm curious, though. What are we supposed to watch on that day?"

Ashley let go of his hands and turned to her other side to get something from her bag. She returned to him with a flyer in hand.

"Charity Fashion Show in New York," she said as she handed Kurt the flyer. "I think it's for some children's foundation. I'm not sure."

Kurt stared at the flyer. She had him at New York.

"It's not a big deal," Ashley continued. "But a lot of celebrities are attending. I heard Eva Longoria will be there. But you know… there'll be other shows."

The words _I don't have money to get there_ involuntarily slipped out of Kurt's lips. Kurt was getting lost in his own thoughts. But, Ashley thought he was speaking to her so she replied, "Oh no, it's free of charge," in a casual tone.

Kurt, wide-eyed, looked up at Ashley's face. "Free. Of. Charge?" he said.

She nodded. "Yeah. We were gonna use my mom's miles to get there and the hotel is sponsored by the government. Are you okay? Your face is kinda weird."

Kurt blinked and regained full control of himself. "Maybe Mercedes doesn't really need me at the wedding."

Ashley's eyes brightened and she smiled up to her ears. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. You know. I don't really know her Aunt and it's her second wedding. How big of a deal could that be, right?" He answered.

"Oh, yes. Ask Mercedes, please?" Ashley said with a hopeful smile on her face

Kurt really loves it when he sees her so genuinely happy and excited. He finds her incredibly amazing. Every time she sees him, she would just light up. He always feels so warm when someone would look so happy to see him. And, for that person to be Ashley is simply a treat.

In the short time that Ashley Abrams graced the halls of McKinley High, she has become one of the most loved and sought after girl in school. Her popularity rating has insanely hit the roof without much effort. All she really did was be herself—beautiful, witty, sweet and really nice to everyone.

Every other student would kill to be close to her the way Kurt is. But, sometimes, with the way Ashley acts around him, it almost seems as if she feels like she's the lucky one to have Kurt. He would shrug the idea off because he thought it ridiculous. In Ashley's mind, however, it wasn't ridiculous at all… it was true.

* * *

"Hey, Q!" Ashley called from the other end of the hall. Students flipped their heads to look at her as if they were the Q she was referring too. Quinn heard her despite the distance. Ashley was a Cheerio after all and, consequently, had strong lungs that could afford to speak in high volumes without much effort. Quinn waved to Ashley as the Cheerio began to walk towards her. Quinn thought that Ashley looked like a movie star on the red carpet: acknowledging everyone that greeted her along the way.

"Hey, Ash. Oh by the way, thanks for talking to Ms. Sylvester about the Cheerios for me," Quinn said as soon as Ashley was close enough to hear without the need to yell.

"Yeah, no problem. You were right, anyway. You should know all the activities that are happening in school. The pep rally invitation last month was a bit inappropriate. Although, Coach Sylvester didn't look very happy being reprimanded."

Quinn smiled indulgently. "She never does." Quinn likes the feeling of having authority over the students, but when this authority could be correctly and safely turned to a teacher, to Sue at that, it just makes her day.

"Anyway, I have an idea for a fund-raising activity for glee," Ashley started.

"Oh, yeah? Great! What do you have in mind?" This is good news for Quinn. She's been rattling her brain for several days now, thinking of a gimmick that New Directions could do to raise money so they could compete in Nationals.

"A talent show. We did this a couple of years ago when I was in 8th grade to raise money so we could compete in Nationals."

"Is this like a competition? We have to give out prizes?" Quinn inquired with obvious skepticism.

"Well, yes. But, the prize doesn't have to be money. It could be gift certificates or something like that. We'll get a sponsor… or sponsors."

"Now, who would want to sponsor this show? It's not like it's going to be broadcasted all over town."

Ashley smiled reassuringly at Quinn. "You're such a doubter, Q. I'll handle the publicity if you guys could create an effective format for the program and seek for sponsorships."

Quinn pondered on the thought as she studied Ashley's gestures. Ashley is a Cheerio; head cheerleader, in fact. Quinn remembered her days under Sue's wing and she was aware of the possibility that Sue could be planning to bring down glee club… again.

But, this is Ashley Abrams and it's improbable that she would have a hand in whatever evil scheme Sue could be concocting. If there's one thing she's sure about Ashley, it's that the girl has absolute loyalty to Artie. The entire studentry knows this. If you want to get on Ashley's good side, be nice to Artie—that's her one rule.

Quinn nodded. After all, this is the first great idea anyone's had. If Ashley was willing to help them, this might actually work. "Okay. I'll tell Mr. Schue about this."

"Great! Later, Q," Ashley said; and then, she was gone.

* * *

Mercedes sat on the bleachers, watching the Cheerios warm up. She was waiting for Kurt; she told him that she would meet him there that afternoon. He was running late and she noticed that Ashley wasn't in the field either. She could only assume that they were together. She was right.

From her peripheral vision, she saw Ashley walk towards her team. When the girl was halfway to merging with the rest of the girls in red and white, she turned to the bleachers, and gave Mercedes a quick wave. Mercedes acknowledged; the red-head obviously knew that Mercedes would be there. Soon enough, Kurt was climbing the steps to get to Mercedes' row.

"Since when did you find it entertaining to watch the Cheerios practice?" Kurt said as he laid layers of tissue paper beside Mercedes, making sure that his designer jeans don't make contact with the aluminum seats. She didn't answer the question and stared out to the field. "Are you okay?" Kurt asked upon realizing her preoccupation.

"I wanted to talk. This is just the first place that came to mind," she said without tearing her gaze at the girls on the field.

Kurt was going to ask Mercedes if he could bail on the wedding trip, but decided to hold it off after the talk. He sensed that Mercedes was feeling down. Something bad must have happened, he thought. He resolved to listen to her first and then discuss about their trip later on… or maybe tomorrow, when she's feeling better.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Kurt asked with a concerned tone.

Mercedes turned to him and tried to smile. It was a futile attempt to comfort Kurt; it just strengthened his suspicion that something was truly wrong.

"I don't want you to think that I'm against it. I really am very happy," she began. "For you."

Kurt was surprised. This was about him and his face twisted with realization.

"Ashley is very sweet and I like her a lot," Mercedes continued. "I know you have a lot of things in common… and that's really great. I can see how much she likes being with you. It's like watching her be with Artie."

Kurt waited for her to proceed. He wasn't really sure what to say to her. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling. He was too stunned to even react.

"I just feel like…" Mercedes trailed off as she looked away from him, back to the Cheerios who where perfecting a pyramid with Sue sounding off her disappointment through the overused megaphone. "I feel like you're spending way too much time with her. It's been so difficult to find you. I mean, I haven't seen you during lunch the entire last week. If it wasn't for glee, I barely would see you anymore."

"Mercedes—" Kurt began.

She turned to him and immediately cut him off. "We had plans that you ditched at the last minute, Kurt. And I felt really bad about those. Sure, I didn't say anything but that doesn't mean I'm fine with it. And I want you to know that. Because, you're my best friend… and I really miss you."

Kurt took a moment to take in all of what Mercedes had said. But, what he thought to be a moment turned out to be a lengthy ten minutes of silence; and the whole time, Mercedes patiently waited. Thinking that he might not reply after all, she stood up, sighing as she did. "I guess I'll just see you around," she said before turning and walking away.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Making Up; Characters in focus will be Puck, Quinn, Ashley, Artie, Tina, Kurt & Mercedes**_


	10. Making Up

**_A/N:_** I'llAdmitIt: **_Aw. Thanks so much!_**

I-am-weird-so-what: _**Thank you! I really appreciate it. Don't worry, Artie & Tina will be featured soon enough. :)**_

philabustu: _**Thanks! I thought I'd write something about that, and Ashley was a pretty good cause of the conflict. Thanks for the review!  
**_

* * *

Chapter 10

Making Up

* * *

Puck knew that Quinn spent her recesses in the Student Council office. He got there catching Quinn, standing with her back to the door, having a discussion with a boy who was the head of one her committees. The boy looked at Puck, which made Quinn turn to him too.

"Can I talk to you?" Puck asked.

"Um," Quinn started as she turned to the other boy. He nodded at her and left the room after he made his goodbyes with both of them.

"What's up?" she asked.

He entered the room and stood across her. It was a small office and the distance between them wasn't really that far; but the gap was meaningful. It was Puck's way of respecting Quinn's personal space.

He'd been very careful around her ever since what happened last year. He afforded her so much respect that he'd come to be extra polite when around her. Puck wanted to show her that he's not as much of an egg head as he was before. Despite being turned down for so many times, he still wanted Quinn. He never said it to anyone, but he does love her. And, he loves their child. And, he wants them to be a real family.

"Mom's really missing Summer. She asked me if maybe you could bring her to the house this weekend."

Quinn pressed her lips as she leaned against the nearest table. "I promised her I'd have lunch at your house this Saturday. We talked on the phone this morning."

Puck smiled, but quickly concealed his excitement for the coming of the event. "Great," he said levelly. "What time should I pick you girls up?"

She crossed her arms. "I could just drive there myself."

Puck sighed; looking away as he crossed his arms too. He couldn't hide his disappointment fast enough though and Quinn saw this. She wasn't completely without care for him; after all, he's still the father of her baby girl. And, they're still friends.

"I just remembered," she said. "I don't think I could borrow the car that time."

Puck looked at her with renewed hope. "I'll pick you up."

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that would probably be for the best. Eleven o'clock okay with you?"

"Sure."

"Alright. So, I'll see you then."

He nodded once and turned to the exit. Before he could get out of the room, Puck looked back at Quinn.

"You're welcome at home, you know. I mean, you're welcome to live with us." He told her.

Quinn was a little surprised by this and wasn't able to say anything immediately. But, as soon as the words had formed in her head, she said them slowly. "I'm… happy with Mr. Schue's parents. They take care of us there. They love us."

"I'll take care of you, too. I love you."

Quinn shot him a look as soon as he said it.

"We," Puck quickly corrected. "We will take care of you. We will love you… like Mr. Schuester's parents… love you.

Quinn was thrown off when she heard him say those three words. He's never said it before, and she was uncomfortable hearing it from him now. But it must have been a mistake. Yes, it was just a mistake, she concluded.

She figured a smile to form on her face. "Thanks, Puck. But, they've been so good to me and Summer. It would break their hearts if we leave now."

He nodded.

"It's nice, though," she continued. "It's nice to know that I have somewhere to go when I need a place to stay."

He pressed his lips to a tight smile. "Saturday. Eleven o'clock."

"Yeah," Quinn affirms before Puck was lost from her line of sight.

* * *

Artie, Tina, Mike and Ashley had the same Chemistry class. Artie and Tina were partners—naturally. Mike partnered with a nerdy boy, while Ashley completed a trio with two plain girls—not extremely dorky, but brainy enough to help her pass the class. Artie and Tina's table and Mike and his partner's table are separated by another lab table. Ashley was two rows behind Mike's and could see everything that's happening in their area.

The teacher required them to mix certain chemicals to produce some kind of result that should be noted. Ashley wasn't really paying attention, she was too intent in watching her friends; besides, she had her girls to cover for her.

When the teacher left to allow the students to work on their own, Ashley saw that Mike left his partner as well. He ended up at Artie and Tina's table. He settled beside Tina, getting the closest stool available. Tina welcomed him with a high five.

The two started discussing something while Artie worked on the activity quietly. At one point, Mike and Tina burst into laughter, making Artie turn to them. They didn't notice him, though, so he went back to working. Later, they laughed again, but Artie wasn't rattled anymore. It was like there was a wall between them. Or, to be more precise, it was like Artie had enclosed himself in a bubble.

From Ashley's point of view, it didn't seem as if there was something romantic between Mike and Tina. They were bonding for sure, but whether or not something more than that was happening, Ashley couldn't tell.

She could only see Artie's face from the side, but that was enough. It was enough for Ashley to figure out what he could be thinking, what he could be feeling. And, she saw that it wasn't good.

Artie was a great actor. To someone who didn't know him as well as Ashley does, it would seem that he was indifferent to what was going on between his partner and another student. But despite showing obliviousness, Ashley can tell that he was upset. The worse part of it for her is that he's convincing himself that he doesn't care.

"Ashley?"

She was interrupted by one of her lab partners. She turned to them with a warm smile on her face.

"We're done," the girl in the black frilly blouse told her, obviously proud of their work.

"You can copy the results now," the other one said, willingly shoving the paper to her.

"Thanks, girls," Ashley said taking it. She turned to Artie and Tina's table, but Mike wasn't there anymore. He was back with his lab partner with his head bowed down, copying answers no doubt. Tina's attention was back to Artie now. She jokingly punched him in the arm, probably because of something he said. Artie dipped his head and sneaked a look at Tina as he adjusted his glasses. He was smiling now; and Ashley saw that it was no act.

* * *

Kurt stared at the black board, not really listening to his teacher. He was still thinking about Mercedes and what she had said to him. He didn't mean to hurt her; he loved her. Had he really been such a terrible friend to her?

He hated himself when he didn't say anything to Mercedes after she poured her heart out. Sure, he was in shock, but that's not really an excuse. He hated himself even more when he didn't even try to call her that night. He was scared. He didn't know what to say. He hoped that everything will be better in the morning. But, it wasn't.

Kurt came to school hoping to get a chance to talk to Mercedes and apologize. He saw her by her locker that morning. He smiled at her when she glanced at him, but she didn't smile back. She turned to the opposite direction and walked away. Kurt knew that she was still upset.

The bell rang, indicating that school's done for the day, and the students around him stood up one by one and hurriedly left the classroom. He took his time fixing his things, stacking his books slowly. A flyer fell on his feet. It was the one about the charity fashion show in New York. He picked it up and sighed as he looked at it. He knew, then, what he should do.

As soon as he exited the room he saw Ashley, the exact person he wanted to see. "Hey, Kurt," she greeted with her usual happy vibe.

He smiled weakly as he handed her the flyer. She took it, her smile melting away.

"I can't come with you to New York, Ash," he said.

"Mercedes didn't give her permission?" She asked.

"I didn't tell her about the show."

She looked at him with questioning eyes.

"I decided on it. I'm sorry, Ash. I already promised her that I'd go with her to her Aunt's wedding."

Ashley studied his face. Something happened, but she felt like it wasn't the right time to ask about it. She decided to smile instead of inquiring. "I understand. We'll go some other time."

Kurt smiled back. "I'd like that. I'm on my way to practice, do you want to come and watch?"

"No, I can't. I have to get to the field. Do me a favor, though?"

"Of course, honey."

"Could you tell Santana and Brittany that I need to talk to them as soon as glee practice is over? I need to see them before Ms. Sylvester comes for practice."

"No problem." Then, they went their separate ways.

In the choir room, all but Mr. Schuester and Quinn were present. They were clumped in groups, and on one side of the room were Mercedes, Tina and Brittany. When Kurt entered, Tina instinctively pulled Brittany and dragged her to where Mike, Matt and a couple of the new guys were at.

Kurt went straight to Mercedes. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she repeated.

He sat beside her and immediately said, "I'm sorry, girl."

"I don't want you to stop being friends with her, you know."

"I know. But, you were right, I have been…" He searched for the word. "…neglecting you for the past weeks, and that was wrong. You're my best friend, Mercedes. I couldn't throw that away just because Ashley and I have something in common. And, I've missed you a lot, too."

Mercedes smiled. "It's okay. We'll catch up."

He smiled and nodded. "At your Aunt's wedding."

She laughed. And, they spent the rest of their waiting period planning a trip to the mall. They had to buy loads of stuff for the wedding, after all.

* * *

**_A/N: Next Chapter: A Good Start; Characters in focus will be Rachel, Finn, Puck & Ashley_**


	11. A Good Start

A/N: This is a long one. :D

* * *

Chapter 11

A Good Start

* * *

"What's the matter, Finn? You let four people walk to first base. That's not like you at all."

Rachel watched Finn and his teammates practice baseball that Saturday morning. She usually spend those hours vocalizing and practicing her solos for glee, but one afternoon she heard Puck berating Finn to focus when in the field, so she decided to check up on him. And, she confirmed that he was indeed very distracted.

Finn didn't look at her. Instead, he took a big bite of his burger to occupy his mouth.

"Really? You don't want to talk about it?" she asked.

He shook his head slowly.

"Is that 'no, you don't want to talk about it' or you 'don't don't want to talk about it'? 'Cause that would mean that you do actually want to talk about it."

Finn looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Stop confusing me, Rach."

She sighed and leaned forward from across the table. "Will you please just tell me what's wrong? I might be able to help you."

"See, that's my problem. You're always the one helping me." Finn spoke with a low voice, but it was firm.

Rachel straightened her spine. She didn't expect that.

"I can't even name a time when you needed my help," he continued. "I know I'm dumb as a rock, so I can't help you with anything about school. You're a way better singer and dancer than I am, so I don't see how I could help you with that either. And then…"

Finn shook his head and stuffed his mouth with fries and coke.

"What?" she asked softly. He didn't stir. "Finn, please. And then, what?"

"Nothing," he said.

"It's not nothing. What's wrong?" Rachel was getting a little bit annoyed now.

"Just forget it, okay. I don't want to fight."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Oh, so now, I'm starting a fight?" She exhaled her exasperation in an effort to calm herself. "Fine. Let's not talk, then." She quietly took a bite of her burger.

Lunch ended with both of them not speaking a word to each other. When there wasn't anything left to do but leave, Rachel took out a pen and scribbled some words on the receipt. She pushed the paper across the table to Finn. He took it and read it: I'm going to school to get my car. I'll walk. See you whenever.

Rachel stood and grabbed her wallet. She spun without another word and started to walk.

"Rachel, come on!" Finn called. She didn't stop, so he ran to catch her. "Hey, come on," he said grabbing her wrist. She looked at him but she said nothing. "It's a long walk, Rach."

"I'll catch a ride," she said snapping her arm away from his hold and started her march to the road.

"From your knight in shining Mohawk, maybe?"

She stopped on her toes and rotated to face him. "What?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I heard you call him that." Finn turned and walked to his parked car. And, as if a magnetic field forced her to, Rachel followed.

"This is about Noah? You're having a jealous fit over Noah?"

He didn't answer. He went to sit on the driver's seat, but he didn't start the engine. Rachel opened the door to the passenger side and quickly sat beside Finn.

"That was nothing. It was a joke. I was teasing him, that's all." Rachel was calmer now. She spoke to him like he was a hysterical baby and she was trying to soothe him.

"He dealt with the kid that slushied you. That's why you called him your knight?" he asked, turning to her.

"Yes, but…"

"It should have been me," he said looking away.

"Finn," she began. "I don't care about that. Besides, it wasn't for me that he did it. It was for Quinn."

He laid his forehead on the steering wheel before saying, "Do you know how useless I feel?"

"You're not useless," Rachel whispered as she rested her hand on his back.

"I didn't even do anything. God! I'm such an idiot!" Finn was talking to himself this time. He was reliving the moment when Rachel was slushied and he just stood there. He didn't even run after the asshole who did it. He didn't even try—at the very least try—to find out who did it. He just went on with his life like it was all a bad dream.

And then, Puck—his best friend, Puck—went and did all the things that he should have done for Rachel. His ego was completely shattered. It was humiliating. It was like Babygate all over again.

Rachel didn't know what to say. She knew this was not just about her; it was about Finn and the way he sees himself. It was hard to stomach what the other kids said about him when word got out that the baby was not his. They laughed harder when everyone learned that Puck was the one who got Quinn pregnant—his best friend, Puck. Finn's ego couldn't be more wounded. And now, this: Puck gets the spotlight again.

Rachel knelt on the seat and wrapped her arms around Finn, her right cheek on the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Rach," Finn murmured. "It should've been me. I should've been the one protecting you."

Rachel moved back. She sat on her legs, still facing him. "Yes, it should've been you," she said softly.

He turned to her, forehead still planted on the wheel, his eyes watery.

"But, it doesn't matter to me that you didn't do anything," Rachel said as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I would have asked you to do something if that's what I wanted. You're with me. That's enough."

"It's not," he said, unthinkingly.

She began to tear up, too, but she smiled. "Are you kidding me?" Rachel said, letting out a laugh. "I get to kiss you. I get to have you in my arms. That's too much. I don't know however I deserved that."

Finn smiled as he leaned back against the seat, his eyes closed. He believed her… he always did. But he still didn't feel right.

* * *

"Thank you, Mrs. Puckerman. It was a really good meal. And, I had a really good time today," Quinn said as she, Puck and his mom walked to his truck.

"And thank you for bringing Baby Summer here," Puck's mom said. She had the baby in her arms, asleep from playing the entire afternoon.

Quinn and Summer spent the entire day at the Puckerman household. His mom was so excited to have them over because it rarely happened. She had cooked a huge meal and had set up a playpen for her. Her friend from work came over and brought her two-year-old son so that Summer could have a playmate. Quinn watched her daughter have so much fun that even though she would rather not stay long, she ended up waiting until she got tired.

Puck played with his daughter too. Quinn watched them and for a second she imagined them being together. Her, Puck and Summer. They could be a family, and her baby could have a normal and happy childhood. Summer could have a chance to grow up with her mom and dad beside her everyday. But, this was a fleeting thought.

Quinn cared about Puck and sometimes when she looked at him, she could see a future with him. He has been trying so hard to show her that he could take care of her and their child. She has never seen him as responsible as he is now. But, when she sees him with other girls she realizes that he's still the same sex-hungry Puck he had always been. He could never be faithful to her, she thought.

Puck brought Quinn and Summer back to the Schuester residence. Doodle, Will's mom, had offered Puck a drink before he went on his way. He obliged and spent a good few minutes in the house, having conversation with the old lady while Quinn tucked the baby in her crib.

Will's parents liked Puck. He was always courteous and very gentlemanly when around them. Sure, their first impression of him wasn't good—what with how he looks, Mohawk and all—but that was eventually overturned by Puck's attitude towards them. He had always been very respectful and always showed his appreciation to them for taking care of Quinn and Summer. But, they knew how Quinn feels about him and they never interfered when it comes to her relationships.

Puck was half-way to his house from the Schuester's when his truck began to sputter. It jerked a couple of times before the engine finally died and he was immobile in the middle of the road. "Crap," he muttered to himself. He got out and pushed his truck towards the sidewalk. He propped the hood up and leaned in, trying to find out what the problem was.

Ashley was on her way home from school. She and the Cheerios spent all day practicing their routine. She drove past the truck and only then noticed that the person with his head under the hood was Puck. She decided to turn around and give him a hand.

She parked her car on the same side. Puck took notice and straightened himself, watching Ashley get out of her car and walk towards him. He sighed annoyingly.

"Hey, stud," she said as she came closer.

"Come to make fun of my loser truck?" he said, wiping his greasy hands with a towel.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that," Ashley said in a teasing tone.

"What do you want?" Puck asked flatly.

"I just want to help. I know a little bit about cars, maybe I could take a look."

He was quiet, unmoving. This blank stare from him made Ashley uncomfortable. She shifted her weight and crossed her arms, something that she does when she finds herself in a position where she's not in control.

With a sigh, she apologized. "I didn't mean to be rude to you. I wasn't in any position to judge you because I don't know you."

There was silence. Puck didn't stir. Ashley's eyes wandered at the view behind him, she wasn't brave enough to look at him.

"You know about cars?" he said, breaking the silence.

Ashley met his gaze and smiled a little. "Yeah, a little bit."

He nodded and gestured a hand towards the propped hood.

"Okay," she said with a smile. She peered in, leaning against the truck without a care for her clothes. She stuck her head so far in that she was on her tippy-toes.

Puck raised an eyebrow, leaning back a little, eyeing her behind. Ashley was wearing a baby pink Juicy Couture sweatpants, with the word 'JUICY' spelled across her rear, and a white racer-back tank top. _This is a grab-worthy ass_, Puck thought. He might have done it too, were it not for her voice snapping him out of his trance.

"Hey," Ashley said straightening herself. Puck tore his gaze from her butt before she could turn to him. "Do you have a flashlight?" she asked as she looked at him.

He simply nodded and walked to get the flashlight from inside the car. Ashley, then, asked him to hold the light for her. He obliged, and it was torture. Puck was in the best position to stare at her chest as she leaned in. There was an instance when she was tugging something and her boobs jerked with her. He felt his energy drain. At one point, Ashley even asked him if he was alright because the light started to shake.

"Here we are," Ashley announced, pulling something out.

"Oh, thank God," Puck exhaled as he went beside her, grateful that the torture was over.

"Well, it's not really good news," she began as she held the thing up for him to see. "You totally wrecked your clutch disc. Not only is it burnt, but it wasn't secured very well. And, that's really dangerous."

Puck took the disc while Ashley snapped the towel away from his hand. She wiped her hands as she walked to her car. Puck followed.

"Uh, thanks," he said. "Sorry you got dirty."

"Oh, it's okay. I have moistened towelettes. You want one?"

He raised a hand as a signal of decline.

"So, we should call Kurt's dad to get your car towed… 'cause that's not going to run."

"Right." He was about to turn to get his phone but Ashley already dialed the number and soon enough was discussing about the truck with the person at the other end of the line.

"That was Kurt. He said his dad is still out towing another car, so you have to wait for a few minutes."

"Yeah, thanks," he said.

"I could wait here with you if you want," Ashley offered with a smile.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course, silly. So, where'd you get this truck? It's pretty old." She leaned against the side of the vehicle, facing the road.

"It was on sale," he said patting the truck as he settled beside her.

"You bought it with your own money," Ashley assumed.

"I'm guessing that wasn't the case with your car," he countered.

She turned her body to face him, resting her elbow on the truck. "You're guessing right. It's mommy's little gift for her little girl."

He smirked as he turned his body to face her. "Not so little, if you ask me."

She laughed. "I know what you mean," Ashley said glancing at her car.

"Do you?" Puck said with a low voice and an eyebrow in the air. I'm-such-a-stud mode was definitely on.

Ashley picked it up on her Jerk Radar and groaned. Puck saw this and his smirk melted away. She flicked him on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked, a bit hysterically.

"Stop trying to seduce me, Puckerman! It's not going to work. Ugh!" And she stomped past him, on her way to her car.

"Wait," he called, turning to follow.

"I like you better when you're not a jerk. Stop trying to be sexy. I see you when you talk to Quinn and Rachel and all the other glee kids, and I like that version of you. Why can't you just be you when you're around me?"

He was a bit surprised with her lashing out at him like this that he didn't get to answer instantly. She waited, though. _Well, at least she didn't storm off_, he thought.

"I don't know…" he finally said.

"Is it not possible at all for you to just talk to me without trying to get into my pants?" She paused, hoping that he would say something. A couple of seconds passed without a peep from him, and she continued. "I'm Artie's cousin, who wants to be your friend. Maybe you could try and get used to that idea. That's all I am. I'm not the popular girl. I'm not the hot girl. I'm _just_ Artie's cousin."

He took a deep breath and let his shoulders fall. He nodded. She smiled.

"You're the second girl who called me a jerk to my face," he said.

"Tch. Someone beat me to the punch," she said with mock disappointment. His lips curled up in reply.

Ashley sat at the hood of her car while Puck leaned against the back of his truck so that they were face to face.

"So, what'd you hear about me?" Puck asked.

"Everything, I guess. You were the one who got Quinn pregnant. At the time when she was dating Finn. Who happens to be your best friend. You slept with, I don't know, half of the moms in town…"

"You probably also heard that I was…"

"The school bully," she finished. He dipped his head. "You threw kids in the dumpster. You splashed them with slushies. Including, Artie."

Puck could hear her disgust at him when she said Artie's name. Looking back, he realized that she was much more accepting of him fornicating all around than making Artie's life a living hell.

"I'm… sorry about that," he said.

"Yeah, I know." She had a friendly smile when he looked up at her. "There's the truck," she pointed.

Puck glanced at where she pointed, and returned to her. She was already getting ready to leave.

"Thanks for the help," he said.

"Sure," she said. She was about to enter her car but held off and turned to him. "This was a good start, Puckerman."

He nodded once. His smile stayed as he waited for her to get into her car, and eventually drive away.

* * *

A/N: Next Chapter: The Cheerios Routine


	12. The Cheerios Routine

_A/N:_ **_Shout out to _**togo65**_, _**Chrupy23**_, _**solo-girl-br**_, _**kgh1010**_ & _**xxFinnhudsonsbabygirlxx**_!_**

togo65**_: I'm so glad you're enjoying reading this!_**

**_Read & Review please. :)_**

* * *

Chapter 12

The Cheerios Routine

* * *

Ashley's big day: it was the day that she would unveil to Sue the routine she and the other Cheerios had labored on for the past month. It was a grueling ordeal—putting the routine together in between regular practice, school work and, for Santana and Brittany, glee practice; but all the girls were excited.

Half the school was excited too. Talks about it bounced off the walls like it was a scheduled event for the students. In fact, when Ashley and Artie got to school, almost every kid they passed by threw 'good lucks' their way (specifically towards Ashley, of course). She smiled and waved and thanked them.

Sue passed by kids at the second floor hall, unintentionally hearing their conversations.

"It's at four o'clock, I heard."

"In the field, right?"

"Can we move the tutorials earlier?"

"Sure, I want to catch the Cheerios practice too."

"Everyone who's anyone will be watching, we HAVE to be there!"

"I cancelled my dentist's appointment; these braces can stay on for a few more hours."

Sue's lips curled up. It was exactly the kind of exposure her Cheerios need. _This Ashley has a kind of charisma that makes people stop and take notice. Were it not for the disgusting auburn hair she would be exactly like me_, Sue thought.

On the other hand, Will was surprised with the buzz happening among the kids. There was no scheduled pep rally that he knew of. Was there a game? He stopped Matt Rutherford when the teenager greeted him a good morning.

"What's going on?" Will asked. "What's everyone so excited about?"

"Cheerios practice this afternoon," Matt said casually.

"Yeah, so?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Ashley is doing this new routine for Ms. Sylvester. It's supposed to be dope! We're holding off baseball practice for a few minutes to watch. You have to check it out, Mr. Schue. The rest of glee will be there, too."

Will nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Matt."

The teacher proceeded to Emma's office, as he always does first thing in the morning. On the way, he couldn't help but think about this Cheerios practice. Obviously, this one is special.

Will knew Ashley was a special girl from the first day Artie had introduced her to him. She hung around the choir room everyday on her first week, watching the kids practice after school and making friends with them. Eventually, she would pop into meetings, whether they are official meetings or just some impromptu discussions, and would blend into the conversation as if she was a member of the club herself.

And, although he's never heard her sing, his instinct told him that Ashley would be a great addition to glee. He wasn't sure if it was because she has great potential to be a sort of Queen Bee in McKinley, thereby boosting glee club's image; or because he had thought and hoped that being Artie's very close relative, she would share his same talent and passion in music.

He had asked Ashley once, and only once, if she would consider auditioning for glee. She answered with another question. "It's already spring. Isn't it too late for open auditions?"

He smiled and said, "There's no such thing as too late in New Directions." She beamed when he said this and seemed to get excited, so it surprised him when the next words that came from her mouth were those of a straightforward decline.

It was only a week later that he found out that Ashley joined Sue's Cheerios. He remembered becoming worried that she might be Sue's new secret weapon. Her spy—taking advantage of her weakness, like she had done with Quinn. Her mole—taking advantage of her naïveté, like she had done with Brittany. But then, Ashley stopped coming to their after-school practices.

Will asked Artie why she hadn't come back and he said that she had become too busy with the Cheerios. This, in a way, had eased Will's mind. Ashley might not be a threat to glee club after all. This was further reinforced when it became readily apparent that the bond between her and Artie was beyond anything anybody in this school has ever had. He believed with all his heart that ten Sue Sylvesters could not break this bond. Ashley will not hurt Artie on purpose, and by association those whom he love, glee club included.

* * *

It was a quarter to 4pm. The bleachers began to get crowded. The Cheerios were on the field, doing stretches. Ashley, Brittany and Santana were in a circle.

"Oh my god. I didn't expect the whole school to show up," Brittany exhaled. There was worry in her eyes while they traveled left and right across the seats. She normally isn't one to have stage fright—a trait she has controlled by being in the Cheerios and glee club. But, on that day, Brittany had reason to worry. She would be singing solo parts for the first time.

"Stop looking at them," Santana said, flicking her arm. "Keep it together."

"What if I forget the words?" the blonde said with much concern.

"You are not going to forget the words," Ashley assured the girl. She turned and looked behind her and saw that there were more people now than the last time she checked. She turned to both girls abruptly. "Okay. I didn't expect that too. But, that's a good thing. We'll give them the best show ever!"

"They're here!" Brittany exclaimed. She jumped and waved and directed all this excitement to an area on the field, below the bleachers.

Ashley and Santana turned to look. The entire glee club, minus the baseball jocks who were at the left end of the seats with their team, were there cheering them on. All of them were on the lower benches, near the ground so that Artie could settle in comfortably. Santana grinned at them and waved too; as did Ashley.

"This is crazy," Mercedes let out as soon as the three Cheerios they primarily came to see had scattered about, referring to the mass of students who came out to watch a supposedly typical Cheerios practice.

"I second that," Rachel said, taking a seat.

"I don't remember having regular practice with this much people watching," Quinn commented, reminiscing on her days as head cheerleader.

"We should have totally sold tickets if we knew this would be the turnout," Kurt joked. "Start off that Nationals fund-raising activity." The others laughed and agreed.

Will greeted the kids happily as he got closer to them. They responded in the same manner. He stood next to Artie. Right above Artie was Rachel.

"This must be a really important practice. I mean, look at all this," Will said in combined admiration and amazement.

"Ashley's worked really hard on this one," Artie began.

"It's her Sue-will-worship-me strategy," Kurt supplanted.

Will laughed at the idiom, already rooting for Ashley's success. "What's with all the hype though?"

"Kids talk, Mr. Schue. Santana and Brittany kept on reminding us to watch today's practice, someone probably overheard and just spread the word," explained Quinn. "And, besides, it's Ashley. The students simply love her."

"Judging by all this, I think she will come through with the publicity she promised for the talent show. My hope for our turn at Nationals has never been more secure," Rachel interjected.

Will nodded. He agreed with her every word. All the others did too.

They turned to the field and saw a man handing out headsets to the Cheerios—not to all of them, but a considerable number of them. Mic tests started for each of the girls who had them on.

"Since when did Cheerios ever needed microphones?" Will asked, surprised.

The question wasn't directed to anyone in particular, but it was Artie he stood closest to so it was Artie who answered, "They're singing. Half of the Cheerios will be a chorus."

"What?" Rachel asked with mild hysteria. "But, won't they do tumblings and pyramids and stuff?"

"Yeah, that's why they're using lightweight headsets," Kurt answered, even though Rachel had obviously directed the question to Artie since she leaned over to him. It was only in the morning that he found out that Ashley taught the Cheerios to sing for this routine.

"Why else would Santana and Brittany keep on annoying all of us to watch today?" Mercedes said rhetorically with a laugh.

"What are they singing?" Quinn was the one to ask this time.

"It's a mash up," Tina answered, excitedly. She obviously knows something about it and is elated to witness the performance.

"A mash up of what?" Will asked curiously.

"Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment and Cristina Aguilera's Keeps Getting Better," Artie answered.

"Did you help her make the mash up?" Rachel asked Artie, her eyebrows furrowing and her forehead creasing.

"Not really. I assisted her with the recording of the music, but the arrangement she did by herself. She's musical too, you know." Artie said it with pride, like a father showing off his daughter's talents.

Rachel was half-anxious. She kept it inwardly as she visited each of the faces in the group. They weren't as affected as she was. If anything, she could see intrigue in their eyes. They seemed eager to behold this spectacle more than ever.

Sue walked out onto the field, looking up at the bleachers. Students filled them up as if the Titans had a game. She saw several of the other teachers there, including Principal Figgins. On the ground, at one end, she saw Will and the rest of his glee club; at the other, Ken Tanaka and his baseball varsity. As she came closer to her girls, a megaphone was handed to her. Ashley met her on the field.

"You go through all this effort to get these students out here, you better not screw up, A," Sue said as they walked side by side.

"If there had been efforts, it wasn't mine," Ashley replied with an unwavering smile. "And don't worry too much Ms. S. It will make the lines on your face multiply."

Sue scrunches her face for a second, annoyed at the brazen confidence of the girl. But, she concludes with an arrogant smirk on her face and a snooty reply. "We'll see what you can do, Abrams," she said as they parted ways.

Sue settled in the lower bleachers, at the center where she would be able to see everything. The Cheerios got into position as the students roared and cheered. Every girl had their backs to their audience, except Ashley who looked to Sue for her signal to begin. Sue pointed a finger at her. Ashley nodded with her lips curled up in one corner. She signaled for the music to play and quickly turned to match the others.

The introduction to Keeps Getting Better exploded from the speakers. Pompoms began to shake, timidly but in synchrony to the beat. Santana turned as she sang the first verse of For Your Entertainment, stepping forward while the Cheerios danced with their backs still to the crowd.

Will was overwhelmed with a happy surprise to hear Santana's voice filling the air. The other kids at glee had the same reaction, except maybe Rachel who was still very much distracted and concerned.

When her verse was about to end, she turned her back to the masses at the exact same moment as Brittany turned to face them all and sing the second verse of the song. She stepped forward so that she was linear to Santana, who moved flawlessly with the rest of the cheerleaders.

Will was grinning up to his ears at what he was seeing, and hearing. Brittany's octave was lower than the other girls at glee but at that moment, she sang every word with conviction, in perfect timing and melody to the music—and it worked very well.

The third verse belonged to Ashley. The Santana-Brittany swap was reenacted, in Brittany-Ashley order this time. Her range was definitely higher than Santana's and Brittany's; and she had a full voice, uncanny for such a young age.

Artie grinned like a proud father as he looked at the faces of the friends that surrounded him. This was the first time they had heard her sing and Artie was sure that they had fallen in love (despite the fact that she was actually singing a mashed-up dance song). Kurt has heard her sing in the car on the way to Cleveland, but they were both singing in mock that he wasn't really paying attention; so, technically, this was the first for him too.

Everyone else in attendance was in awe as well. The new girl was hot, she can dance and she can actually sing without any effort at all.

Artie leans closer to Tina and says, "You ain't seen nothin' yet." Rachel heard this, and she got even more anxious.

The mashed-up choruses of the two songs played and the Cheerios, who were now all facing the bleachers, sang together. Will was pretty sure that not all of them were actually singing, taking a clue from the fact that only a few had headsets on, but all their lips moved in unison. His jaw slightly hung. Their voices weren't perfect, but they were good. As a chorus, they were effectively entertaining.

Sue watched, stoic. All around her, students were cheering and dancing, but she focused on the routine. The dance was perfect. Not one head-tilt delayed, not one pompom off-beat. Even while her girls sang (or lip-synched), there was not a single misstep. She remained skeptic, though. Perhaps the pompoms merely distracted her?

During the bridge, surprising moves that she'd never seen before in a cheer dance competition dazzled Sue. Ashley with a couple other girls, twirled like ballerinas, standing stiffly on the toes of their rubber shoes—practically digging into the soft ground. A double cartwheel by four or six others exhibited at the same time. Choreographed backflips were executed as Ashley took to the center.

"Here it comes," Artie said excitedly to Tina.

Ashley belts out a high F while the rest of the Cheerios froze in their last position and the music muted. When the note's final echo was gone and the beat returned, the cheerleaders danced in perfect timing again, and the silenced crowd howled once more. Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn, Tina, and the new kids stood and jumped, cheering as loud as they could. Will whistled before he clapped his hands above his head; Artie did the same. Rachel stood up too, but the other's enthusiasm didn't mirror on her.

Sue watched, still as a rock, as the girls on the field stacked into pyramids. The song was nearing its end, and this was Ashley's finale. Suddenly, Sue felt a smile coming. A crack in this perfect routine has finally surfaced: she's seen the pyramid before. Two years ago, a Los Angeles High School had this exact same pyramid at Nationals. She doesn't remember the name of the school, it only won third place then.

The routine ended with a perfectly stacked pyramid at the back, other Cheerios sitting or splitting on the ground, and only Santana, Brittany and Ashley standing in the center of it all. The audience simmered down as they waited for Sue to say something. She raised the megaphone in front of her and said, "That pyramid was unoriginal and recycled. I am insulted that you had even dared to display that second hand material before me."

Ashley's face fell and her arms dropped to her sides. She looked at Santana and Brittany, who both seemed like they were getting ready to cry, and shrugged as if to say, "We tried." She turned towards Artie's direction with a huff, he shook his head in disagreement. She saw Will shaking his head, too. And, with how the other kids at glee stared at her, she figured they shared the sentiment of both guys.

"However," Sue continued, making Ashley flip her head back to Sue's direction. "Everything else was excellent."

Ashley livened, as with everyone else. There was a sea of applause and cheers. And before Sue got completely drowned out, she made a final direction for Ashley to see her in her office in ten minutes. She left without another word or glimpse at the crowd just above her.

The Cheerios huddled in the field, jumping and screaming. Santana and Brittany turned and ran towards the glee kids. Ashley turned to their direction, focusing mainly on Kurt who mouthed _brava;_ and Artie who tilted his head and discreetly clapped his gloved hands in front of his chest. She smiled at them and curtsied.

"Great job, ladies," Ashley said pointing to the girls as she turned to proceed to Sue's office. On the way, she passed by the baseball varsity. Each of them gave her congratulatory remarks; while those who were members of glee had the privilege of giving her a high-five as well. Puck wasn't there though, she noticed. But, before she could leave the field, she caught sight of him, inconspicuously standing behind the rest of the team. He smiled approvingly and nodded to her once. She returned the exact same gesture before she was gone.

Brittany and Santana were greeted with positive reviews when they got together with the glee kids; as well as bonus hugs from the girls. While the two were put in the center of the spotlight, Will made conversation with Artie. Rachel listened in, but she did so with extreme subtlety—her back to the guys.

"That was incredible! Ashley's a very good singer! I mean, I still can't get over that note!" Will exclaimed.

"And, she can also play the piano and the guitar," Artie said.

"Will you please ask her again, Artie? She might reconsider joining glee if you're the one to ask. We could use her talent in our group. Her choreography was impeccable. And to make those Cheerios sing like that!"

He spoke of Ashley with much ardor, Rachel thought. Suddenly, the kids he has in glee didn't seem good enough. She didn't hear Artie say anything, but she figured that he must have nodded.

"She could well lead us to our win in Florida," Will concluded.

Rachel felt her stomach twist. She was going to lose her solo at Nationals.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Early Dismissal**_


	13. Early Dismissal

_A/N:_ Proud Marry: _**Thanks for your review. Here's Artie and Tina's back story & the beginning of their current story. :)**_

GLEEK'10: **_Thanks! Hope you stay on… this is a long ride._**

**_Much love to_** Proud Marry **_&_** xxFinnhudsonsbabygirlxx**_!!!_**

**_The song featured in this chapter is John Legend's Everybody Knows._**

* * *

Chapter 13

Early Dismissal

* * *

Slowly, after Sue left, the assembly thinned. Coach Tanaka called his boys to the field to begin their practice. Santana and Brittany said goodbye to Will and the rest of the glee kids. The two girls went back to the rest of the Cheerios and called them to a huddle.

"All right," Santana began. "We have to wait for Ashley to come back with news from Sue. We obviously have a problem with the pyramid. I don't know what exactly, but we'll find out soon. Now, girls, we should all be active thinkers. We can't just make Ashley do all the work. We're still a team and she would appreciate it more if you could give her ideas."

When Quinn was let go from the Cheerios, there was no new head cheerleader appointed. Sue was extremely disappointed and she didn't think all the rest that remained were good enough to be called _captain_. When the new school year entered, she chose a senior as head cheerleader.

Santana wasn't happy; she wanted the position, but there wasn't anything that she could do. Sue was disappointed with her because she stayed with glee. And, even though Sue wanted to kick her out of the Cheerios, Sue didn't. Santana was really good and losing her would spell doom for the cheerleaders.

When Ashley came, Sue instantly demoted her appointed captain and placed the new girl on the position. Initially, Santana sided with her senior teammate; but it wasn't long before she jumped ship. She got to know Ashley closely and found her much to her liking. Santana figured that if she was going to be second, she was going to be second to a true queen. And, Ashley proved to be one.

The cheerleaders nodded, and then she gave them a ten-minute break. Santana walked to the lower bleachers and got a towel from her bag. She scanned the field as she wiped the sweat off her face and body, and landed her eyes on the boys in baseball uniforms. She couldn't help it, but she was looking for a particular boy.

Despite Puck and Quinn having a baby, Santana never really left the picture. She was the girl on the side… his sort of "booty call," if you would. Well, to be frank, they are each other's booty call. Santana goes the back door to be with Puck because he's really good in bed. She does sleep around with other guys too (and girls), but there simply were days when she misses Puck.

Santana was not in love with Puck; not when they were dating exclusively and not now that they were merely satisfying their lust. She could not care less about him and Quinn being together and having a baby, as long as she was getting some, it was fine. But lately, she hasn't been getting anything from the guy.

It started a couple of months ago. Puck hasn't been calling her, and she had waited because she'd still rather that he be the one to come to her. When the waiting dragged on, she couldn't stand it anymore and called him, and he made excuses not to come over.

Santana had been working extra hard to seduce him to have sex with her—and this was not dignifying to her because she never had to work hard for sex. She thought it was ridiculous and mortifying that she—Santana Lopez—was making too much effort. Her come-hither look always had high school boys kissing her feet, and that's in a literal sense. But, Puck fought against it when she did this to him. He's been trying to control himself, she realized. It annoyed her extremely.

Finally, she saw Puck; and he was having a casual conversation with Quinn on the field. They were about a foot away from each other, but they looked very comfortable talking. Quinn laughed and hit him on the arm; he laughed too and did a gesture of mocked pain. She didn't realize it, but Santana's face twisted into an expression of disgust.

* * *

"I have to tell you, I am quite impressed," Sue began as soon as Ashley settled on the seat across the huge mahogany table.

The cheerleader smiled quietly and nodded once.

"But I meant what I said about the pyramid. I am insulted." And truly, she had this expression on her face as if she had been betrayed.

Ashley sighed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Sylvester. I ran out of time. I had worked extra hours to teach the other girls to sing. And—"

"Speaking of which," Sue said, cutting her off. "I'm sure you're aware that melodic harmonization is not one of the criteria in cheer dancing." Ashley nodded. Sue continued, "So why did you waste your time teaching my girls how to sing when they will not be doing any of that when we compete?"

"It was fun," Ashley said matter-of-factly.

"Fun? I don't care about that! Fun will not get me my trophy!"

Ashley was unstirred by the sudden burst of emotion. She took a deep breath and spoke. "It's just that they're all very talented. When I found out that Santana and Brittany were in glee, I just really got excited. There aren't many cheerleaders who could hold a note—and these girls can. Half of them can. And with the discipline you have ingrained in them, it was easy to get them to sing as a chorus. Besides, Brit and Santana were really into it. They don't get to sing too many solos in glee club and they were enjoying what we had done with the routine."

Sue's eyebrows still furrowed, but she said, "Very well. I will allow this. But, you do it on your own time." Ashley smiled—relieved, and nodded. "Now, what is this talent show I heard about?"

"Oh. It's just to raise funds so the glee club could go to Nationals. They don't have the kind of alumni backing that the Cheerios have." Ashley answered casually.

"And you are connected to this, because…?"

"Artie's part of the glee club," Ashley shrugged.

Sue's eyes narrowed. "Are you a spy?"

Confusion was apparent on Ashley's face. "A what?"

"A spy, you snotty little princess!" Sue roared, slamming her hands on the table.

"No! Who would I spy for?"

"Will Schuester!"

"What?" Ashley recoiled against the back of her seat. She couldn't be serious, she thought. "That's ridiculous, Ms. S!"

"Get out of my office," Sue said, gritting her teeth.

"But…"

"Get out!"

Ashley exhaled, calming herself and making sure that she doesn't show any kind of emotion. She nodded quietly and stood up. She turned and walked to the exit. She stopped in front of the door way and turned back to Sue, a haughty smirk painted on her face. "When you wake up in the morning, you will realize that this was a very big mistake," she said, as if it were a hex. Sue didn't react; instead, she let the girl walk away.

Ashley went straight to the field in steady strides. The girls weren't practicing, they were scattered everywhere. She saw Santana alone in the lower bleachers, watching baseball practice.

"Hey," Ashley said, stopping in front of Santana.

"What'd she say?" Santana asked as a form of greeting.

"Uh," Ashley exhaled as she crossed her arms in front of her. "She liked the routine. You'll probably do a new pyramid, I'm not sure."

"You mean _we_," Santana clarified.

Ashley shook her head. "No, I mean _you_. I think I'm off the Cheerios. But, I'm not sure about that too."

"What? Why?"

"Sue thinks I'm a spy for Mr. Schue."

Santana rolled her eyes and placed both hands on her hips. "She's just crazy that way. It doesn't mean anything. She's going to realize that when she wakes up in the morning."

Ashley laughed. "That's exactly what I said to her when she threw me out of her office."

Santana laughed too. "So, should I dismiss the girls now?"

Ashley looked at the other girls thoughtfully; then she turned to Santana and said, "Your call. Pending any clarifications from Sue, I'm taking this as my discharge from the team. Since you're my second, you're provisional captain. I'm going home."

Santana nodded; and watched Ashley turn and walk away. She, then, called the rest of the Cheerios, who quickly gathered before her.

"Great job, everyone. We're done for the day. We'll resume practice tomorrow."

* * *

Ordinarily, when Artie waited for Ashley to be done with Cheerios practice, he would be accompanied by other members of glee—Quinn, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Rachel or sometimes even the new kids. He and Kurt used to watch the Cheerios practice a lot, but Kurt's been quite busy as of late. Recently, Artie's been hanging out with Quinn instead, helping her with her student council projects and plans for the fund-raising talent show. On that day, however, everyone had to leave as soon as the Cheerios routine was over.

He was given permission by Will to use the choir room while he waited for Ashley. He found the sheet music for their new performance on top of the piano and decided to practice the guitar piece for it. He was going to _sit_ this one out and play the lead guitar instead. There would be too much dancing in the song anyway; and besides, it had a face-melting guitar solo that he wanted to get his hands on.

With the paper in his hand, Artie pushed his chair to where the guitars were resting. He was met with two guitars beside each other—acoustic on the left, electric on the right. Perhaps he felt lazy at the time and didn't want to set up the electric with its amp, because he reached for the acoustic instead. He wheeled back to the piano and replaced the sheet music with the others.

He turned to the empty seats and started to strum the guitar he chose.

_It gets harder everyday_

_But I can't seem to shake the pain_

_I'm tying to find the words to say_

_Please stay_

_It's written all over my face_

_I can't function the same when you're not here_

_Calling your name when no one's there_

Tina quietly stood against the door frame, watching. She had decided to stay with Artie while he waited for Ashley because her mom called and cancelled on her… again. She caught him as soon as he began to play the guitar. For some reason, she decided not to disturb him and wait for him to complete his song instead.

He really has a soothing voice, she thought. Tina had always loved Artie's voice. Artie probably did not know it but when he sings, he unconsciously wraps her around his little finger. And when he does his solos, Tina gets hypnotized.

She remembered that afternoon when she confessed the truth about her stutter. "I'm sorry now you get to be normal; and I'm gonna be stuck in this chair for the rest of my life," Artie said. She was surprised at the result of her honesty. She had not expected him to be hurt and disappointed—it wasn't her intention at all. She just wanted to be truthful to Artie because she really liked him.

In front of the glee kids, they acted like that incident had not occurred. It was like they had this unspoken agreement to make sure that their friends don't get bothered by their issue with each other. Quinn's baby and the upcoming sectionals were enough problems for the group, they figured separately. So, they appeared as if everything was all right between them when there was an audience. But without the watching eyes, it couldn't be more obvious that everything was not all right between them.

It took awhile, but eventually, Artie treated her normally again—like nothing had happened, like everything had been okay. He simply went up to her and struck a conversation. She was surprised, but she took it—if that was all it was ever going to be between them, she'll take it.

Tina never got the courage to bring up what happened; she couldn't. She was afraid that he would get angry with her. So, she followed his lead. Tina treated him the way they treated each other since the first day they joined glee. And for the rest of that year, they were friends.

_Oh I wish you would understand_

_I'm just an ordinary man._

_I wish that we have known_

_That everybody knows, that nobody really knows_

_And I know one day you'll see nobody has it easy_

_I still can't believe you've found somebody new_

_But I wish you the best, I guess_

Artie regretted saying those words to Tina. It was wrong and it was unfair.

Ashley had told him later after the incident, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Artie; but that feeling of betrayal that you have is so misplaced. What you said to her was mean! You're sorry that she gets to be normal? Do you realize how selfish that sounds?"

It was one of the worst conversations Artie had with Ashley. They seldom fight, but on that night they had an epic battle over the phone. It was so bad that they were screaming over the receiver. Even though they've never met, on that night Ashley was Tina's champion.

When Ashley had knocked some sense into the boy, his remorse was overflowing. Artie really liked Tina and by some miracle, it seemed that she liked him too. He recalled what he told her about not pushing people away. He said he'd never tried to push people away because the chair already does that for him. But, with what he said to Tina that afternoon, he knew he had effectively pushed her away. And, this was something that he didn't want; especially not for Tina.

So the next day after he had an epiphany, he talked to her casually—for the first time since that fateful afternoon in the school halls. She responded, politely. Days passed and he hoped that she would bring it up again so they could talk about it. She didn't. And he didn't make the initiative because he was afraid. Afraid of what? He didn't know.

So they remained friends. Even though it wasn't what they both wanted.

_Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows_

_How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt_

_We've heard it all before_

_That everybody knows just how to make it right_

_I wish we gave it one more try_

_One more try_

_One more try_

"Tina!" A girl's voice called. It came from down the hall.

Artie stopped and turned to the door. He saw Tina facing the direction where the voice came from. "Hey, Ash," she greeted. "Don't you have practice right now?"

Before she answered, Ashley came into Artie's view. Both girls stood facing each other outside the doorway. "Dismissed early." She looked in the choir room and saw Artie cradling a guitar on his lap. "Oh, you're still practicing?" She asked, glancing at Tina, and then fixing her gaze at Artie.

"Uh, no. Not really," Artie answered. He looked at Tina, telepathically asking why she was there.

Judging from his questioning look, Tina figured it was her cue to say why she was there. "I forgot something in my locker so I had to come back. I just passed by."

Somehow it felt awkward for Ashley to be there. She wasn't sure why, though. Finally, she decided to brush it off because she wasn't feeling much up to meddling with other people's issues. She was rather down, getting kicked off the Cheerios and all that. "I'm not really feeling well. Is it okay if we go home now, Artie?"

"Yeah, of course," Artie said.

After making sure that the choir room was in order, the three left the school building together. They made small talk on the way to the parking lot, until they inevitably parted ways.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: As The Day Ends**_


	14. As The Day Ends

_A/N:_ Proud Marry: _**How kind! Thank you so much. :)**_

Love At First Fight: **_It's alright. You gave a review now & it makes me happy to know that you've been following the story._**

SailorNeo: **_What a detailed review & I love that! Thank you! Quick fan, are you? I'll get to that I promise. There is a need to resolve other issues first. Hope you can be patient. Thanks again!_**

_**Shout out to**_ DryadSpeaks**_!__ And much love to_** John Nighthawk_**!**_

**_Everyone else following the story: I would loooove to hear your thoughts about the story, Ashley, my writing, the weather… anything really. :D_**

* * *

Chapter 14

As The Day Ends

* * *

From the moment they said goodbye to Tina up until they were on the road, Ashley and Artie were quiet. Both were lost in their own thoughts—Ashley on her unclear status as a Cheerio; Artie on Tina.

"Hey, guess what," Ashley said, unexcited. Artie turned to her quietly. She continued upon getting his attention. "I think I just got kicked off the Cheerios."

"What?" he reacted, a bit outraged. "But, the routine was excellent! She said it herself."

"Yeah… it's not about the routine," she answered in the same indifferent tone. "She thinks I'm a spy for Mr. Schuester—which, can I just say, is totally insane!"

Artie took a moment to process what she had just said. "Is this because you're helping us with the talent show?"

"Bingo."

"Oh no, Ash. I'm sorry," he said shaking his head.

"Why?" She asked, turning to him instantly.

"I should have told you about Ms. Sylvester and Mr. Schuester," he said. She listened intently as Artie chronicled the antagonism that existed between the two teachers because of the Cheerios and glee club. By the time he ended with his story, Ashley had already parked her car in the driveway. "Huh" was her only reaction before she got out of the car to get his chair from the trunk.

While she quietly set up the wheelchair beside the opened passenger door, Artie apologized again. Ashley smiled reassuringly and said that it was no big deal. And, as they proceeded to the front door, she even joked, "Maybe I should just join glee club. I mean, after all, I'm supposed to be its spy."

"You laugh, but actually, you're not far off," he commented over her chuckles. She arches an eyebrow but maintained her smile. Artie looked up at her questioning face and laughed. "I'll tell you all about it later after dinner."

Ashley didn't get to respond because they were interrupted when Artie's mom opened the door and welcomed them both home.

* * *

After practice, Finn waited for Puck to get to the mound before walking off the field. "Hey, dude," Finn greeted.

"What's the matter with you? You're still distracted," Puck began.

Finn didn't answer; he just walked beside him quietly.

Puck exhaled, looking at his best friend. He decided not to get on Finn's case, the guy seemed bothered by something and he didn't want to impose. "Hot routine by the Cheerios, huh?" Puck sidetracked.

"Oh yeah," Finn replied, smiling a little. "Ashley was really good."

"I saw Mr. Schuester watching, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna want her in glee."

"She's practically part of glee anyway."

"Won't we have any problems with Rachel?" Puck asked.

"What? No," Finn answered defensively. "I mean, I don't think so."

Puck snorted at the sudden uncertainty. He knew Rachel enough to know that there would be some sort of problem. Rachel is extremely competitive and with how Ashley fared that afternoon, he was pretty sure that Rachel was very concerned.

Finn stopped a few feet from the entrance of the locker room, resting a hand on Puck's shoulder to stop him too. "Look, man," Finn said as Puck turned to him. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure," Puck said with little concern but with obvious curiosity.

Finn slowly took his hand off Puck's shoulder. "I just…" he began. He was finding the right words to say. He didn't want it to seem rude.

"Spit it out."

"Stay away from Rachel," Finn said instantly.

Puck's eyebrow met. "I don't…"

"I didn't mean it to sound like that," Finn explained calmly. "I just feel… like… it would be best if you could maybe keep your distance… a little."

Puck paused, judging Finn's demeanor. "Yeah. Whatever, man," he finally said, indifferent.

"I know you guys are kind of friends and all, but—"

"I said it's cool," Puck said cutting him off. "Is that it? I have to run to my shift."

Finn nodded. Puck punched him softly on the shoulder as a signal of reassurance and said, "Alright, later." Finn watched Puck enter the locker room.

* * *

_Should I really be worried that Ashley might overshadow me? I mean, I'm the star. I have always been the star! Sure, she's really good; but, is she better than me?_

Rachel mused as she stared at herself in the mirror, combing her hair. She has not really been thinking straight since she got home from watching the Cheerios practice. Her thoughts always focused on Ashley and what the girl had done that afternoon.

Ashley can sing—and she can sing very well. In truth though, Rachel was not threatened by Ashley's talent. The red head may be a viable competition to her, but not any better. What worried Rachel was the girl's star power—her capability to be adored by the people surrounding her; and, this has been something that Rachel had struggled from the beginning. As Kurt once said, "Sometimes it's hard to appreciate what a good singer you are because all I'm thinking about is shoving a sock into your mouth." Rachel was not as likeable as Ashley, and this could be her downfall.

Rachel understood that Ashley could be a very significant addition to glee. Her ideas are wild and new. Apparently, she is a very good teacher and coach. And furthermore, having her in glee club could help the reputation of the club and its members. Everyone will want to have her in the club if only to better their status in the school.

But, making Ashley a member of glee would inevitably mean that Rachel would have to take the backseat to make way for the girl. She would be forced to step down as captain just like that senior girl in the Cheerios. And, this idea displeased her.

Since New Directions began, the club's reputation has been steadily rising. Rachel believes that when they win at Nationals (and she is fervent that they would), they would rule senior year. Glee club would be in the same level as, if not higher than, the Cheerios and varsity teams. And, she would be damned if she's not at the top of that roster when it happens.

* * *

"Here you go," Ashley said, handing a glass of warm milk to Artie, who was already sitting on his bed with his sheets across his legs.

"I'm not a baby, you know," Artie said, but taking the glass and drinking the milk anyway.

"Tell that to your mom," she said as she sat on the bed, facing him. "I think she thinks you're still five."

"Oh, believe me, I've been telling her that since I started middle school." Artie reached to place the empty glass on his side table. He then turned to Ashley and told her, "Mr. Schuester wants you to join glee club. He asked me to ask you, hoping that I might persuade you."

"Are you going to persuade me?"

"Is there a need for persuasion?"

Ashley smiled and shook her head. "I don't know, Artie. I mean, it's glee club."

His right eyebrow arched. "You're still worried about your image? Come on, Ash."

"Well, not really…"

"So what's the problem? You're not a cheerleader anymore, what else are you going to do?"

She paused and thought about what Artie said. He was right, what else was she going to do? She's not going to beg Sue to take her back, that's for sure. She'll get to spend so much more time with Artie if she's in glee club. There really was no downside to joining. So she smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'm joining glee."

"I knew you would," Artie replied.

Ashley laughed and slapped his leg. "Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go hit the sack," she said as she stood up.

She was almost at the door when Artie called to her. She turned to him and was greeted by his big blue eyes boring through his huge glasses looking at her, his lips forming a tight line. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He paused for a moment and then he shook his head. "Nothing. It can wait."

Ashley exhaled and rolled her eyes. She walked back to his bed and plopped herself to his side. She squeezed against him so as not to fall off. "If it can wait, you wouldn't have done that ridiculous look at me."

"I've been wondering… this afternoon, can you tell if Tina had been standing by the choir room door for some time when you saw her?"

"Ahhh… Tina Talk again. We haven't had this conversation since I got here. I was beginning to think you were keeping secrets from me now."

"Ash…" Artie said, cutting her off.

"Oh right. Sorry. Um. I can't say for sure. I was a bit out of it so I wasn't really paying attention. When I turned the corner, I already saw her standing there. It was possible that she just got there. Why?"

"Nothing. I kind of hoped she went back to be with me while I waited for you. We haven't really hung out just the two of us for some time."

Ashley sighed. "Sorry. I was just really tired; and I was upset about the whole Cheerios thing. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to leave school already."

"Tch. I didn't mean it was your fault or anything. I totally understand," he assured.

"You're still really into her, aren't you?" she asked. When Artie didn't answer, she said, "Yeah, I don't really need any verbal confirmation from you. Your actions say it all."

"Remind me again how stupid I was," he said.

"You were really, really, _really_ stupid. W. Bush had nothing on you. Jessica Simpson was Einstein compared to you."

They let out a snorted laugh, trying to muffle the sound. It brought them back to the summers she had spent there. They would always stay up late just telling each other stories; and when they laughed, they contained it as much as they could so as not to disturb his parents.

"Ash," Artie began when they had settled down. "Do you think I blew it? With Tina, I mean. Do you think I totally blew it?"

Ashley took a deep breath and relaxed her back against the bed's headboard. "You know what… I really don't. She still likes you, I think."

"Yeah, but do you think it's enough for her to want to be with me?"

"No," she said sadly. Ashley and Artie had always been honest with each other—no matter how brutal the truth was. Ashley had often considered lying to Artie when she thought the truth was too much to take, but their closeness was based on trust and she couldn't expect him to trust her if she lied to him about anything.

Artie nodded quietly. "So I did blow it."

"Not at all. I'm just saying that I don't know what she's thinking. I can't answer your question in absolute certainty."

He snickered and said, "She could do better than a cripple. Why would she want to be with me?" Ashley was silent. He turned to her. "Oh, so you agree?"

"Of course she could do better than a cripple," she said quietly, not tearing her gaze at the Lord of the Rings poster at the wall across Artie's bed. "She could be with a guy who can move around without a wheelchair. Maybe a guy who played sports, an amazing dancer."

Artie turned to the same wall that Ashley stared at. "Yeah," he agreed, dejected.

"But, you know, just because something's better for us, doesn't always mean that we want it."

"If she wanted me, she would have said something."

"Oh yeah, sure, expect her to do the work again. Might I remind you that the last time she had gathered the courage to tell you a truth about her—one personal truth—you left her in a hallway. And, oh, that was before you practically told her that you hated that she was normal—I just have to lay that out there."

"Alright. I get it. Geez." They were silent as they allowed the reminder to sink in. After a minute or so, Artie asked, "So… you think I should…"

"Have some balls, yes," Ashley said wryly.

"What if she turns me down?"

"I don't know, Artie. I don't have the answers to everything," she said, her eyes closed. Her weariness was taking its toll and she was beginning to speak unclearly. "But I know that you can't stop living your life just 'cause you're in a wheelchair. You can't be scared to get out there 'cause you might get hurt. Don't worry, okay? I'm right here with you."

He turned to her with a bit of surprise. She just recited what she had told him nine years ago when he wouldn't get out of the house because of his chair. He smiled when he heard Ashley snoring softly.

Artie moved to the edge of his bed to make a little more room for her. He took one of his pillows and carefully put it behind Ashley. She unconsciously stirred, lying down as she held and adjusted the pillow under head. Artie quietly waited until he was sure that she was deep in slumber before he reached to turn the lamp off and get some sleep of his own.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Welcome to Glee Club**_


	15. Welcome To Glee Club

_A/N: **Thanks for reviewing and alerting! This chapter is more of a connector (to tie the storielines together)... no big turning points here except maybe Puck's scene with Ash. The scene in the choir room is merely for my indulgence. Don't hate, okay? :)**_

_**Much love to y'all!**_

* * *

Chapter 15

Welcome to Glee Club

* * *

_She's in_, Artie texted Tina on his way to school with Ashley. Tina instantly replied, _Cool! I'm with Mercedes now. She's totally stoked._

"Well, Tina and Mercedes are excited," he said to Ashley.

Ashley was excited too. Today was her first day as a member of the glee club. She wasn't even thinking about the Cheerios at all. Less than 24 hours and she was already past what happened in Sue's office. She only had glee club in her thoughts now; and she was going to make sure that they take home first in Nationals this year.

"So are you going to put into action what we have discussed last night?" she asked.

"Not today."

"No day but today."

"Give me some time, okay?"

"Look, if you drag this on, you're totally going to chicken out. And then, you're never gonna do it. I know you."

Artie didn't answer. And, they were both silent for the rest of the trip.

When they got to school, they were greeted by Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, Mike, Matt, and a couple of the new kids in the parking lot. They were huddled by Ashley's car for a while before Finn and Rachel walked up to them.

"Hey guys," Finn greeted. "We're having a meeting?"

Everyone in the group greeted the couple. Matt, then, moved to be beside Ashley and put his arm around her shoulders as he announced, "Dude, let me introduce to you the newest member of glee club."

Ashley smiled and waved at the two. Finn's eyes brightened at the news. He exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Rachel smiled too; but it was to conceal her true feelings and not due to happiness. Perhaps it was because she was a very convincing actor that nobody noticed her aversion; or maybe it was because they were simply not paying attention to her. They all had their eyes on Ashley—even Finn was distracted.

* * *

Santana sat on a bench right outside the main entrance of the school. It was past noon but the area was shaded by the building's shadow, so that it was still comfortable to hang out in. She and Ashley always met there on Tuesdays, discussing their routine and sharing a sandwich for lunch.

"Hey! I wasn't sure you'd still come," Ashley greeted from the concrete stairs of the entrance, several feet away from the bench.

"Why wouldn't I? You have my lunch," Santana said as Ashley sat beside her. "What are we having today?"

"Chicken. Leftover from Sunday's roast."

"Honey mustard?"

"Of course." Ashley handed Santana half of the sandwich.

"You seen Sue today?" Santana asked before taking a bite off her food. Ashley shook her head, her mouth being pre-occupied with chewing. "So, what are you planning to do this afternoon?"

"Glee rehearsals at 3," Ashley answered.

"And after that?"

"Going home. You can tell her that I'm returning my uniforms within the week. I'll have it dry-cleaned first."

"She didn't categorically say that you're off the team, you know."

"I'm not giving her the satisfaction of sending me away in front of a lot of people. I've always felt her distaste for me from the moment I got here. She never liked me; and the only reason she allowed me to work with you girls was to get a new routine for Nationals. Now that she has it, she doesn't need me anymore."

"But the pyramid…"

"It's just a pyramid. You can handle that."

They diverted to other topics while they finished their food, mostly about other kids in school. For the past few weeks, Santana and Ashley had actually become close friends. Although their conversations were limited to the Cheerios, glee club and boys, they secured some sort of bond—no matter how shallow the basis.

When they were done eating, Santana headed on to the dance studio to meet with the Cheerios, while Ashley stayed to make a phone call to her mom. About 15 minutes into the conversation, Puck stood in front of her and signaled if he could take a seat on the bench beside her. She nodded and said through her cell, "Uh, listen mom, I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon, okay? I love you." And, she ended the call.

"You didn't have to say goodbye to your mom on my account," he said.

"And allow you to eavesdrop? I don't think so," she replied with a smile. He grinned at her. Ashley noticed the burrito bought from outside as Puck began to unwrap it. "Not feeling today's cafeteria food?"

He shrugged and proceeded to take his first bite. She watched quietly.

"I heard you decided to join glee club after all."

She nodded. "I figured I'm already queen of this joint. What else would I worry about?" He raised an eyebrow; and she grinned at him.

"Heard you left the Cheerios."

"Oh really? Whoever started that rumor is very kind." Ashley saw Puck's questioning eyes, so she proceeded to say, "Sue kicked me out."

"No shit?"

She shook her head. "She heard about the talent show and that I had something to do with it. She accused me of spying for Mr. Schuester. Pretty funny stuff, eh?"

"Only in Lima," he said matter-of-factly.

She giggled in affirmation. Her face, then, turned serious. "So," she began. "What's with you and Quinn? I mean, you guys have a kid together but you're not… together."

He exhaled and leaned back, not looking at her. "What do you want me to say?"

Ashley's forehead creased. _What an odd reply_, she thought. "Whatever you want to say would be fine. I won't mind it if you tell me to fuck off."

He instantly turned to her and said, "I don't want to say that."

"Well, okay," she said after a second's pause. "That's good news then," she declared with a full smile.

Looking at her genuinely happy face, Puck couldn't help but put a smile on his face too. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but he felt worry-free when he's around Ashley. He's heard kids say how she has this kind of vibe that brightens the mood when she's present, but he never really understood what they meant until he felt it that afternoon when his truck broke down on the road.

"Quinn doesn't want to be with me," he said.

She merely nodded.

"You can understand why she doesn't want me, huh."

"Yeah," she agreed sadly. "Sorry. I really don't mean to seem judgmental—"

"Not at all. I didn't even think that. You know the story about us. You know how I am. It's easy to conclude. Believe it or not, I understand Quinn. I did kind of wreck her life and everything.

"Yeah, you did."

"You're really vicious, aren't you?"

Ashley shook her head. "Honest," she pointed.

"A bit _too_ honest, if you ask me."

She smiled. "So you made a huge mistake and ruined someone else's life—that doesn't define who you are. You're trying to be better. You're trying to do right by her. That's what matters. And you can't be affected when people bring up that mistake every now and then. That's just how it is. Remember that in a person's life, there are only two things that are never forgotten: the best ones and the worst ones."

He nodded. "Guess getting Quinn pregnant was pretty bad."

"I didn't say that. I mean, it's too early to tell. Besides, if today was the determining point, I'd say, it's leaning towards the best."

"Her parents kicked her out of the house and disowned her at 16 years old… with a baby to take care of. What are you talking about?"

"Taking all that into consideration, check this out. Quinn may have lost her biological parents, but she's currently with people who treat her like she's their own daughter. Mr. Schuester's parents love her despite her imperfections; unlike her real parents. Kurt said that Quinn said that she's never been in a happier home."

Ashley paused, checking Puck's reaction. She wasn't done though, so she continued, "Another thing, she's class president and she maintains a 4.0 GPA. I heard her talking to Ms. Pillsbury the other day and apparently, she's eligible for an academic scholarship for college. And that's not even the cool part. Two Ivy League schools are offering her the grant. She has a choice between Dartmouth and Princeton. Seriously, in colleges, that's like winning the lottery—twice over.

"And I've been told that Quinn's never had this kind of performance before. Sure, she's always had a 4.0 GPA, but these Ivy League schools want more than that. They want leader-type students with initiative. Now, most likely, if Quinn didn't get pregnant, she wouldn't get kicked off the Cheerios and she wouldn't have run for president.

"Of course, let's not forget that she has this beautiful baby girl who loves her unconditionally. I know for a fact that everyone is smitten with Summer; I've never seen a more perfect baby. Quinn has her own little, tangible angel who makes her so happy despite everything she's gone through. And guess what, _you _gave her that."

Puck was at a loss for words, and it showed. Ashley smiled triumphantly at him. He looked at her and smiled back, but it was one of amazement. He's never really thought of everything that way; nobody had introduced him to the idea that he might have given Quinn a gift rather than a problem.

"So, you're saying that it was a good thing that I got her pregnant?"

She shrugged. "I told you, it's too early to tell. Listen, it started off bad—with her not having any family, Finn hating you and all—but that's not true anymore, is it? Now, all those things I said are the truth; and they happen to be good. Now, I don't know if tomorrow things will change again and it'll be bad again. Nothing is set in stone, Puck. Whether or not this good streak will continue for Quinn will depend on her choices and, to a certain extent, that of the people around her—including you."

It took a moment for Puck to answer, and when he did, what came out of his mouth was, "Are you really seventeen?"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I just like reading books, that's all. You should try it; some of them actually make sense."

Ashley bid him goodbye soon enough. When she was gone, Puck was left to his thoughts. Strangely, he felt better and less self-loathing. He could barely remember the last time this happened. He knew the feeling won't last; later on he will feel as if everything in the world is his responsibility again. But, it didn't matter to him. At the moment, he didn't feel like the worst person in the world. And it was Ashley who gave him that.

The only other person he's had a deep discussion about Quinn was Rachel. He was thankful for her. If Rachel hadn't picked up the phone all those nights to talk to him and try to comfort him, he probably would have gone insane. But, she's never said anything that had given him a full minute's ease—not like what Ashley had just done.

Funny how life works, he thought. He had to give up Rachel because Finn is his best friend and wanted to do right by him for a change. He selfishly worried about not having anyone to run to when he's desperate to just talk; but it proved to be unfounded. Ashley comes into the picture just in time to make sure that he need not be alone.

* * *

"Before anything, let us give a warm welcome to our newest member," Will said, gesturing to Ashley who sat between Santana and Artie on the first row. "Guys, on three. One. Two. Three."

"Welcome to glee club!" everyone yelled in unison. It was immediately followed by laughter and clapping.

"Ashley, would you like to say a few words?" Will asked, as soon as the kids began to calm down.

Ashley smiled and nodded. She went and stood in front of the piano and faced the others with a smile. She was greeted with warm smiles on many of the faces before her; but there was a few that had only politely curled the corners of their lips.

"I could not be more honored to stand before you all today. You, who make up America's best glee club!" she began. "I like the ring to it, don't you? America's _best_. Of course, not a lot of people know it yet; but the good news is: it's not without remedy. Because in a few months, we're competing in Nationals… and we're gonna win!" The choir room was filled with cheers. The boys necessarily drowned the girls. It was like a pep rally. Will was even hooting along with the teenagers—obviously, getting pumped with her speech.

Ashley raised both hands up, palms facing her audience. They automatically settled down. "We're not supposed to be eligible for Nationals, right? But, by some miracle, suddenly, we are. I don't know about you, but I believe fate is on our side. Fate, destiny, the universe, God—whatever higher being you conceive Him to be—is on our side. That's why I'm confident! Are you confident?" she pointed to Santana, who had a knowing smile plastered on her face from the moment Ashley began her speech.

"I'm confident!" Santana bellowed.

Ashley turned to Matt, at the second row on the right, "Are you confident?"

"I'm confident!" he roared.

She twirled to look at the teacher. "Mr. Schuester. Are. You. Confident?"

"I'm confident!" Will yelled, causing some of the kids to giggle.

Ashley turned right back to the group and screamed, "Who else here is confident?"

Finn stood and shouted, "I'm confident!"

Brittany followed, "I'm confident!"

Right behind her was Kurt. Mercedes. Then, Puck. Artie. Tina. Quinn. Mike. The new kids. Even Rachel.

"What are we aiming for?" Ashley asked, her index finger in the air.

"First place!" Santana and Brittany shouted at the same time.

"What are we taking home?"

"First place!"

"I'm sorry," Ashley began calmly. "I must be going deaf, 'cause I can see 18 people in front of me, but heard only 2 winners answer." She raised her voice again. "What are we aiming for?"

"First place!" Everyone, including Will and Rachel and Brad the piano player, joined Santana and Brittany this time.

"What are we taking home?"

"FIRST PLACE!"

"Nationals! Nationals! Nationals!" Ashley repeatedly chanted until the rest followed her lead as they clapped their hands to the beat of their cheers.

Ashley's first glee rehearsal was much like her first Cheerios practice—she got her team pumped and inspired. In fact, Will noticed the difference right after their mini pep rally. The kids were more responsive to his instructions. They sang better. They danced better. Perhaps it was all the endorphins from the cheering they had done earlier that was making him look at the world in a more positive light. But, to him it was because of Ashley, and he adored her even more.

"That was incredible!" Will told Ashley when he had the chance to speak to her privately.

"I'm just a natural cheerleader, aren't I?"

"That you are," Will affirmed cheerfully. "Listen, I was hoping you could give us some ideas for New Directions. Something new, maybe. We could use all the help we could get since we're clearly the underdog."

She nodded, the confident smile unwavering. "What I said weren't hollow statements. I meant them all, Mr. Schue. We're taking home first place this year. Got my eye set on that."

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: Not Competition Material**_


	16. Not Competition Material

_A/N: **Glee's back!!! Yay! I hope you guys still continue reading my story, eventhough this might be going the opposite direction from that of the show. :) Thoughts please...**_

* * *

Chapter 16

Not Competition Material

* * *

"Hey, Ash."

Ashley was talking to a boy in the hallway and was distracted by a girl who had called her from behind. She spun and saw Tina standing there. "Hey, Tee!" She held Tina by the wrist before turning back to the boy, who now had a disappointed look on his face. "Sorry Rob, I have to go."

"You'll think about it, right?"

"Sure." She faked a smile and pulled Tina away with her. "Ugh, so annoying," she said when they were out of his hearing range.

"What was that about?" Tina asked.

"He was asking me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. The nerve, right?"

Tina shrugged. "He's cute. He's a senior. Can't imagine why you wouldn't want to be with him."

Ashley gave her a surprised look, stopping on her heels. "You can't seriously mean that. Would _you_ be with someone just 'cause he's cute and in senior year?"

"Of course, not. I just thought…"

Ashley arched an eyebrow.

"Well," Tina said cautiously. "I thought you were into those kinds of boys." She dipped her head, embarrassed for stereotyping the popular girl.

"Hmm," Ashley replied thoughtfully. "I probably should be… but having a cousin in a wheelchair kind of gives you a different perspective."

Tina smiled. "It does, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Ashley said, locking Tina's hand in her arm as they began to walk to class. "I don't get blinded by the external features. I'm much more particular about their overall personality. I'd really rather be with a smart guy. I mean, he doesn't have to be, like, bookish; just smart, witty. Did you know that that guy is too stupid, it's unreal?

Tina giggled.

"Seriously," Ashley continued. "He's dumber than Finn, if you can believe that. At least, Finn's not a complete jerk."

"You like Finn?"

"Just as much as every other guy in glee. Please. I have no desire to clash with Rachel."

Tina laughed. "Good to know."

Ashley turned to her and grinned.

"I haven't seen Artie around all morning. Is he sick?"

"No, just went to his regular medical check up. He's perfectly fine. His parents are just strict about keeping his doctors' appointments. Well, technically, his dad is strict about that; but his mom is just plain obsessive."

Tina was relieved to hear that Artie was alright.

"Do you want me to partner with you in Chemistry?"

Tina nodded. They entered the science lab and went to the table where Tina and Artie usually sat together. Ashley unloaded her stuff before proceeding to her usual partners to tell them that she was not sitting with them today. When she got back, Tina leaned in and whispered, "They don't seem very happy."

"Forget them, they're just melodramatic, social-climbing girls," Ashley whispered back. "And anyway, I'll be back in their table tomorrow."

The two straightened and commenced a normal conversation.

"So, we haven't really had a chance to bond, have we?" Ashley started.

Tina smiled shyly. Since Ashley came to McKinley, student after student have been trying to get to her good side in the hopes of becoming just as popular. Tina didn't want to seem like she's one of those people, so she had been very careful of her interactions with the popular girl.

"Is there anyone you particularly like?" Ashley asked, straightforwardly.

"What?" Tina asked, surprised by the frankness. A smile remained on her face though.

"You know, crushing on anyone in school?"

"Did Artie say something?"

"Why would you think that?"

"He said you guys are really close. He said you didn't keep secrets from each other."

Ashley pressed her lips and exhaled.

"I always thought you knew about us."

"But I never told anyone. Not even Kurt."

Tina nodded. "We never told anyone, either."

"Yeah… he said that, too."

"What do you think?"

"What… do you mean?"

"I'm not sure," Tina said, shaking her head.

"Is there someone else?"

Tina paused and scanned the room. When her eyes returned on Ashley, she shrugged and quietly said, "Would you believe me if I said there was?"

Ashley slowly shook her head.

Tina sighed. "You're right. I wish there was, though." She looked at Ashley's reaction. The girl looked neutral, waiting for her to proceed. "I just want to move on. We're friends now, and I'm happy about that; but, in the back of my mind there's still that nagging idea that maybe one day, we could be together, you know? And it's hard 'cause everyday is like an evidence that that's never going to happen."

Ashley wanted to ease Tina's troubles by telling her how Artie really feels about her. She wanted to announce that it will happen… and that it will happen soon. But, she didn't. Had Tina asked her about what Artie thought, she would have told the truth. And, they would have been finally out of their miseries. But, Tina didn't ask. So, Ashley smiled her most reassuring smile—hoping that Tina would understand that she and Artie _will_ be together, as they ought to have always been.

Tina returned the smile; but she interpreted Ashley's gesture as one of pity.

* * *

"I don't know that song, Ash," Will said.

Ashley sat across Will's table in his office. She had just pitched her first idea for glee. "Well, it's not the most popular song. But it was released as a single."

"And you want Tina to sing the solo?"

She nodded.

"How are we going to figure in Artie in the dancing?"

"We're not. He's staying with the band," Ashley answered. "Mr. Schue, I only need the girls to sing the chorus; but the rest of the boys are indispensable for the whole production to work."

Will paused, counting in his head. "We're one guy short."

She shook her head. "I'm sitting this one out."

"Alright. I'm giving you permission to work with the kids. But I can only give you a week of glee rehearsals for this, you understand? We have so much polishing to do with our other numbers."

Ashley flashed a huge smile. "A week is all I need. Thanks, Mr. Schue."

After she exited his office, Ashley walked towards the boys' bathroom in the hopes of running against one of the guys from glee.

She did. "Hey, Mike!"

He turned to see her skipping towards him. He grinned. "Hi, Ash!"

"Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Can you tell all the guys at glee that rehearsals this afternoon will be at the auditorium, not the choir room?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"Great. Thanks, Mike!" She gave him a tap on the arm and quickly walked away.

* * *

Five minutes past 3 o'clock. Everyone, other than Artie and Will, were on the auditorium seats.

"Mr. Schuester's late," Rachel declared.

"He's not coming," Ashley said as she stood in front of the kids. They turned to her, waiting to know why their teacher will not be present for the day's rehearsals. "You, boys and girls, are under _my_ command for the next week."

"What?" Rachel exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowing. Everyone's heads flipped to look at her. She slowly sunk back and straightened her facial expression as she looked at the judging faces of her friends. "I mean, you've spoken to him?"

Ashley had a patient smile; she nodded. She returned to everyone else and explained. "Mr. Schue has given me permission to work with you guys for a possible Nationals number." Kurt stood and began handing out sheet music to each of the girls as Ashley continued. "This is the song we'll be doing. Boys, you're taking a backseat on the singing, but you remain part of the performance."

"Wait," Rachel interrupted, standing up due to her surprise. "Mr. Schue approved this song?"

"Yes," Kurt snapped before Ashley could reply. "Now, will you please let the woman finish?"

Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately stopped by Finn who pulled her back to her seat.

"Okay," Ashley began. "Let me tell you upfront that this will require much dancing; so, for the following rehearsal days, we will all meet here. Girls, we're practicing the chorus during lunch starting tomorrow. We only have a week for this, so we'll use as much time as we could."

Ashley instructed everyone to get on stage to familiarize with the song and afterwards to begin learning the steps. After speaking to Mike by the restroom earlier, she had met with Kurt to tell him about this particular performance. They had then proceeded to do the basic choreography so they could teach something during the afternoon's glee practice. She had decided that it would be Kurt who would assist her with the choreography.

Rachel and Tina stayed behind while the rest of the kids walked toward the stage.

"Ash, this song is not competition material. The judges will not know it," Rachel said firmly.

"I understand your concern, Rachel. But the music has a classic feel to it. It's a beautiful ballad and the judges will hear that. Plus, I guarantee you that the choreography will be amazing. We'll totally rock the stage with this. You have to trust me."

Rachel exhaled a heavy breath. She still wasn't convinced that the song would work, but she decided to give Ashley a chance. So, she nodded.

Ashley smiled. "Thank you." Rachel went to be with the others, while Ashley turned to Tina.

"I think I was given the wrong sheet," Tina said, handing the paper to Ashley.

Ashley leaned in to have a closer look and immediately shook her head, folding her arms in front of her. "No, that's right."

"I think Rachel would be better at this."

"It's not that difficult of a song, Tee."

"No, I know. It's just… Well, this seems like a very seductive song. I'm not sure I could be all expressive to the audience with this. It'll work better if a drama queen sings this. That's Rachel. Or Santana, she's all sexy. She could totally work this. I don't have sexy in me."

"You're sexy. Are you kidding me? You'll do great." Ashley said, convincing Tina with her encouraging smile.

"Ash…"

"Look, Tee. You sing this song or we don't do this number at all. Remember you said you were backing me up all the way if I join glee? Are you letting me down now?"

Tina looked at her with defeat. She sighed.

Ashley took the sigh as the girl agreeing to lead the performance. She smiled and hugged the Asian girl, whispering a thank you as she let go.

* * *

"I can't believe everyone is into this," Rachel said, exasperated. Rehearsals has just ended and Rachel and Finn were walking toward the gym locker rooms.

"It sounds like a good idea, Rach. We've never done anything like this," Finn said. He actually enjoyed their first practice for their new number. He wasn't familiar with the song, but he thought it had a nice feel to it. And, when Ashley and Kurt began teaching them new steps, he was just hooked.

"But, why would Mr. Schue just give her full control? I mean, he's supposed to be the director of this club."

"Well, he probably trusts her enough. I mean, the thing with the Cheerios was awesome."

Rachel glared at him, causing Finn to step back a little. "It's not fair," Rachel huffed.

"Hey," he whispered, as he stopped and held her by the arms.

Rachel turned her head to the right, avoiding his eyes. Finn held her chin and gently turned her face to him.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

She didn't answer; just rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Are you jealous of Ashley?"

"It's not about her," she answered emphatically. "It's this performance. It's Mr. Schue allowing her to add this song to the set list, when it is obviously not an accessible piece." Rachel gently shook herself away from his hold and stepped back. "I have had countless ideas and proposals to him, and not once did he give a nod as easily as he did to Ashley. I wouldn't care so much about that if this whole thing made sense. But, it doesn't. This song is not meant for a show choir competition. And, I know what I'm talking about."

Finn sighed. "I can understand."

She eyed him a cynical look.

"I can," he said in an effort to convince her. "But, babe, we should just give her a chance; if for nothing else, because she's our friend."

"Do you…" Rachel began.

"Do I what?"

"Do you think she's better than me?"

Slowly, one corner of Finn's lips curled up—revealing his adorable smirk. "No, I don't." He came closer to her and held her face in his hands.

"You're just saying that because I'm your girlfriend."

He shook his head. He bent down and kissed her; and, she kissed him back. And the conversation ended with that.

* * *

_A/N: **Next Chapter: The Tragedy in Love**_


	17. The Tragedy In Love

**_A/N: First off, I just want to say that I can't wait for the Madonna episode! Woot! Woot! You guys heard the songs already? Legen—wait for it—dary! [Oh wait, I should probably have done that for when Neil Patrick Harris comes on the show. LOL!]_**

Proud Marry **_- always happy to see your thoughts. Glad you liked it!_**

iHaveALuv4Music **_– super glad you're liking this! :)_**

xx-cristieee-xx **_– so happy to know you appreciate my story. Still got a long way to go… and so much more of Ashley to hate. LOL!_**

**_Shout outs to_** EveryFlavourBeans **_& _**cazzaline**_!_**

**_And, much much love to_** smilingoutsider**_,_** iHaveALuv4Music**_,_** calh **_& _**LaX-Girl-6**_!_**

* * *

17

The Tragedy in Love

* * *

Sue stared at the folded Cheerios uniforms on her table—her eyebrows met tightly in between and her lips pursed. Brittany had brought the neatly stacked clothing to her office a few minutes ago.

"Ashley says thank you, Coach Sylvester," Brittany had said as she laid the set of red and white fabric on Sue's expensive desk.

Sue had then waved the Cheerio away without so much as a peep. Since then, Sue had not taken her gaze away from the clothes.

True to Ashley's last words to her, Sue had woken up the next day realizing that it wasn't possible that her perfect captain was Will's mole—that's giving him way too much credit. She had realized that she had overreacted a bit. But, she was not going to apologize. Sue Sylvester does not apologize.

Ashley had not appeared in practice the day after that big show she and the Cheerios had done. Sue had not reacted when she got to the field that Tuesday afternoon and saw that her head cheerleader was absent. She had not asked any of the Cheerios of the girl's whereabouts; instead, she called on Santana and gave the Latina a run-through of the day's routine practice—a short meeting that had always been done between the captain and the coach before practice began. Sue had gone on as if there never was an Ashley to begin with.

Sue didn't need the girl anymore, that's for sure. It never troubled her that Ashley decided to leave the Cheerios. What bothered her was the redhead's decision to join glee club.

_Glee club_, she thought sourly. _That pathetic excuse for an arts curriculum. A bunch of misfits pretending to be something special. What was I thinking accepting a truce with that greased-top Will Schuester! Well… the agreement has just expired._

* * *

"Hey, Skank," Ashley whispered in Santana's ear.

Santana snapped out of her trance to look at the girl, and greeted her back. "Oh. Hey, Bitch."

Ashley giggled as she leaned against the lockers and turned to the direction where the Cheerio's vision had been focusing on before she came. "What are you looking at?" Ashley asked.

"What? Nothing," Santana answered, too quickly.

"It didn't look like nothing." Ashley continued to search. She knew it was a boy because Santana would not have been so defensive about it. "Brad Carlsey?"

"Who?" Santana turned to see a blonde boy talking to Puck. "I don't even know him."

Ashley's eyes widened at Santana. "No way," she whispered.

"What?"

"You were staring at Puck!" Ashley exclaimed, still in a whisper.

"What? No! Ssshhh!" Santana reacted as she pushed Ashley away from the scene. They both ended up in an empty classroom.

"What is wrong with you?" Ashley coughed a laugh.

"What is wrong with _you_? People could've heard you!"

"So what? Are you ashamed that you like Puck?"

"Sshhh. Stop that! I don't like him, okay?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then, why are you all googley-eyed on him?"

Santana scowled and folded her arms across her chest.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. It's just me." Ashley folded her arms too.

Santana sighed. "Look, he has a kid with Quinn, okay? Let's just leave it at that."

"Fine."

"And, can we please not talk about this ever again?"

"Fine," Ashley shrugged.

"Good. Thanks."

Ashley nodded once, fighting back a laugh. She found it funny seeing Santana so defensive and shy about her feelings—so out-of-character.

"Anyway, since you're here, I need help. I need a new material for the Cheerios warm-up. The girls are getting bored doing old routines. I thought maybe you could give me ideas."

"Sue made you captain!" Ashley exclaimed. "That's great! Didn't you always want to be captain?"

"Yeah, well, I'm having second thoughts about that. She keeps screaming at _me_, specifically."

Ashley smirked, remembering how it was when Sue screamed at her constantly too. "You'll get used to it."

"So, can you help me out?"

"Of course! I'll think of something. Have dinner at home tomorrow then we could discuss ideas afterwards."

Santana turned to the door when a boy entered and froze at the entrance.

"I-is this English?" he asked, unsure. It was probably Santana's scowl that got the kid fazed, because Ashley thought that he looked like he was about to cry.

Ashley took Santana's hand before turning to the boy. She smiled at him, hoping to ease his mind. "Maybe. It's not our class," she told him calmly. She pulled Santana to the door, fluttering her fingers at the boy as they exited.

When they were already a few feet away from the door, Santana called on Ashley. "He was about to burst into tears!"

Ashley laughed. "I know. That's why I had to get you far away from him."

"You are so fruity," Santana mumbled as they continued to walk hand in hand.

* * *

Ashley was busy browsing through her iPod Touch during Chemistry, looking for music that Santana could use as warm-up routine. As usual, she wasn't paying attention to the activity. As usual, her partners were the ones doing all the work. And, as usual, the teacher left the class by itself.

When she decided that there was nothing in her music player that she could use, she turned to watch her partners quietly. The two girls were arguing about the amount of vinegar to add in the concoction. She wasn't really interested; she just pretended to watch so she wouldn't look like she was staring blankly into space like an idiot.

Ashley's mind, for some unknown reason, flashed Santana's expression earlier when the girl was looking at Puck. She could have sworn there was longing in her friend's eyes—Santana longed for Puck, and she was sad that she couldn't have him. Ashley felt sorry for the Latina.

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed without her intending them to. _Could Santana be in love with Puck? She may not seem like the kind of girl who was into feelings and all that, but she's still a human being—she's capable of love. Oh how tragic! She's in love with a guy who's in love with another girl._

Ashley sighed, feeling compassion for her friend and teammate.

The two girls stopped and turned to her. "Are you alright, Ash?" asked one of them.

Ashley snapped back and looked at both girls. "I'm fine. Just… just a little sleepy. I'm going to the bathroom."

"Do you have a hall pass?"

"Always," she said, standing up. She's always had a handy hall pass (thanks to Quinn) just in case she ever needed one.

She made her way to the door, inevitably walking past Artie and Tina's table. They asked where she was off to and she answered a simple "bathroom" and exited the room. She was greeted by an empty hallway, of course. She began to stroll towards the bathroom, checking out every bulletin board and display case she passed by.

She walked past a classroom before realizing that it was Will's Spanish class. Santana and Brittany had this class, she remembered, so she backtracked and peeked at the small window on the door. After a short search, Ashley found her friends sitting beside each other somewhere in the third row. She could hear Will enunciating words and knocking the blackboard in synchrony.

Brittany had her eyes straight to the front, obviously having a hard time following the teacher. Santana, on the other hand, had her eyes on her front left despite seemingly facing the board. She was definitely not paying attention to class. Ashley carefully looked to see who had caught her friend's eye. She rolled her eyes. _Of course_. Puck... who else? When she looked back at Santana, the girl was already taking down notes, like the other students surrounding her.

Not having anything more interesting to see, Ashley proceeded to the girls' bathroom. As she did, an idea came to her; and this made her smile inwardly.

* * *

"Ow!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Brittany. She let go of Finn's hand and stepped away from him.

"I'm sorry, Brit!" Finn exclaimed contritely.

Ashley huffed and walked over to the boy. "Finn, you have repeatedly violated Rule Number One. Not acceptable."

"S-sorry, Ash. I'm trying not to step on my partner's feet. Honest."

She stood before him, leaving about a foot of distance between them, and raised her hands. She signaled for him to take her right hand; he did. She rested her left hand on his right shoulder. His right hand hovered on her back, turning to Rachel for a go signal. Ashley exhaled, annoyed.

"We don't have all day," she said flatly. He held her. "Good. Now, _you_ need to lead. And, we always begin with the left. This is left." Ashley squeezed his hand and shook it. "If you step on my toes… so help me, I will bring forth the wrath of an expensive Nail Spa bill on you!"

Snorts and giggles were heard from the others; they had stopped to watch. Finn's eyes registered worry, embarrassment and confusion at the same time.

"Okay," Ashley continued. "Step carefully. Left… and close."

Finn followed.

"Good. Right."

He stepped right.

"Again."

They began swaying left and right together. It was awkward because Finn was heavy on his moves.

"Stop that," Ashley reprimanded, referring to him staring at his feet as he danced. "Look at my face."

He did. It was the first time Finn's had a chance to look at Ashley's face up close. They never really had anything to talk about to allow them to have face time before. Sure, they greeted each other in the halls, but it's not like they stare at each other for that. She has a beautiful face, he thought.

Ashley smiled, her eyes squinting a little as she did. He was pleasantly surprised at the pretty face beaming at him. He couldn't help but smile too—smile and stare at her blue eyes.

"Awesome, Finn!"

He blinked.

"Very good," Ashley told him.

Finn realized that they were dancing perfectly—well, as perfect as it's ever going to be for him. He looked down at his feet; they moved sans the awkwardness. He was leading, in fact.

Kurt gave Finn a look of approval when they caught each other's eyes. There was also resentment on his face, because after all this time, Kurt still wanted Finn, and it made him sad that there simply was no way Finn would want him too.

Rachel wasn't happy while watching Finn dance with Ashley. Her brows furrowed and her lips pouted. She had been annoyed at Ashley when the girl didn't want her pairing with her boyfriend, making Finn partners with Brittany instead.

"But, we've always been partners," Rachel had reasoned with Ashley privately after the pairings were earlier announced.

"It's going to throw off the entire balance of the group on stage if I pair you two up. He's way too tall next to you. It wouldn't look good," Ashley had explained.

This time, Rachel was annoyed again because Ashley was getting too close to Finn. It's for professional reasons, of course, but it was still annoying.

"Okay," Ashley said, letting go of Finn's hand without warning and heading back to the edge of the stage to face the group. "Brit, take your place. Everybody, on your positions." She instructed them to do the steps again.

On one of the aisle seats, Tina sat watching the dance rehearsals on stage while singing the lyrics of the song quietly so she could memorize them. Artie wheeled himself to her side.

"Hey," she greeted, cutting the song mid-verse. "Where have you been?"

"I made some calls for our talent show. We got Subway as a sponsor!" He clapped his hands, intentionally not creating any sound.

"Alright! Way to go, Artie," Tina said, doing the same gesture.

"How are they doing?"

"They're good. I could already imagine how it'll all look like."

"Ashley isn't screaming her head off, is she?"

Tina coughed a laugh and shook her head. "No, she's great. A little scary, but she's getting things done."

"Hey, Tee, I know Ashley kind of forced you to do this solo. I'm sorry if she's making you uncomfortable by making you do this."

"What? No. It's fine."

"She can be a little manipulative sometimes."

Tina shook her head. "No. I'm actually flattered that she'd choose me for her first pitch. I'm still not sure though if I could make this work. I might end up ruining the whole thing and her efforts would be wasted."

"I'm sure you'll totally kill it! I mean, not like that. You'll rock it!"

She laughed. "I really hope so."

"Tug her back gently, Mike! Don't yank her arm out!" Ashley shouted.

Tina and Artie laughed discreetly.

"That poor freshman girl," Tina said. "Mike sometimes forgets the level of force he should be using on girls. Like, last week, I was in front of my locker getting some books when he smacked my back as he greeted me. I totally slammed against the metal. And I made a lot of noise doing that, so everyone in the hall turned to see my head inside my locker. What a friggin' idiot."

Tina snorted. Artie laughed.

"But," she continued. "Despite all his silliness, he's actually pretty sweet. Well, it's kinda hard to see from afar. If you get close enough though, he'll surprise you."

Tina turned to see Artie's reaction. He had a smile on his face, his eyes fixed on the stage.

"Hey, Artie."

He turned to look at her.

"Did Ashley say something?" she asked.

"About what?"

"Uh—bout… what happened in yesterday's Chemistry class."

"Just that Mr. Kleep made a boring lecture the entire period."

"No, I mean, not about the class."

Artie stopped and thought about it. His face lit up. "She told me about that funny story Mike did when the teacher stepped out of the room. Man, that was crazy!"

Tina smiled.

"Is that what you were asking about?" Artie checked.

She nodded. "Yeah. That was hilarious."

Tina thought that maybe Ashley told Artie about their little chat before the class began yesterday when Artie was not in school. She wasn't really sure if she would have wanted Ashley to tell Artie about that or not. She just wanted to know if Artie had been briefed of their girl talk.

Artie had not been briefed. Ashley left out that part in her day's story to her cousin.

Tina and Artie looked ahead to see glee kids walking towards them. Rehearsals were over, apparently, and many of the members of the club were in a hurry to leave. Mercedes and one of the new sophomore girls were the first to greet the two. Right behind them were the other new kids except Puck's sidekick Perry, and then there were Brittany and Mike laughing and pushing each other playfully. However, on the stage, there were still Kurt in a huddle with Quinn, Matt, Puck and Perry, Finn talking to Rachel, and Ashley in conversation with Santana.

* * *

_**A/N: There was a lot going on in this chapter, did you notice? Plenty of hints on what's more to come. Please be patient while I put them all in writing. :D**_

_**Next Chapter: Messed Up Virgins**_


	18. Messed Up Virgins

_**A/N: Awesome Madonna tribute, don't you think?! :D Loved the numbers… I would have wanted to hear more dialogues though.**_

xx-cristieee-xx**_: thank you dear!_**

Proud Marry**_: you're very close. LOL!_**

Iris Violetta_**: wow! Thank you for your insights! I'm happy that you're liking the story. I completely understand your concern about Ashley. I appreciate you pointing it out. I can't promise that her complexities will show soon, but they will for sure. Thanks again! :) Much love!**_

iHaveALuv4Music**_: __LOL! I love that! You're awesometastical fabtastic too!_**

HanaDear_**: I super appreciate it! Glad to have you on!**_

elliequick**_: Oh my! All 17 chapters in one go?! That warms my heart! Thank you! Much love!_**

nikechucks_**: thanks a lot! I labored on this one because I had a writer's block in the middle of writing the chapter. :) Much love!**_

_**Shoutout to **_The Gray Rook**_._**

_**So sorry for putting all the replies here. I got really excited because I think this is the most reviewed chapter. Thank you so much for taking the time to R&R! :D**_

* * *

Chapter 18

Messed Up Virgins

* * *

"I'll see you tonight?" Ashley asked Kurt while they were walking towards where Tina, Mercedes, Quinn and Artie waited. They were now the last ones left in the auditorium.

"Yeah, around 7:30. Mercedes and I have to work on our project for History first."

"That's perfect. Anyway, I saw an awesome choreography in my head just a few minutes ago. We need to see if it's doable."

"Ash, I'm gonna go with Quinn to the office," Artie said as soon as Ashley and Kurt were close enough to hear.

"Sure. How long are you guys going to take?"

"Are you in a hurry? Could take a while. An hour maybe? A lot of paperwork." It was Quinn who answered.

Ashley looked at Tina before answering. "No, that's fine," Ashley told Quinn; "Tina and I have to work on her solo."

"Come over to the office if you finish early, okay?" Artie said.

Ashley nodded.

"We'll walk out with you two," Mercedes said to Artie and Quinn.

The four—Mercedes, Artie, Quinn and Kurt—bid their farewells to the two girls who remained in the auditorium. When the others were gone, Ashley turned her attention to Tina.

"Awesome. Let's get you up on that stage. Have you memorized it already?"

Tina smiled. "I think I can do a rough run-through for now."

"No problem. Can you set up the mic stand there in the middle? I'm going up at the control room and talk to Ben so we could do a sound check."

"Sure," Tina said.

Ashley nodded and started to head up to the control room when Tina called her.

"Hey, Ash," Tina began. "Can I… I just want to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"You… didn't tell Artie about what we talked about yesterday?"

Ashley paused before she replied. "No. Did you want me to?"

Tina didn't expect Ashley to ask that question. She had no answer for it; she could only stare at Ashley while the girl waited for her to say something.

"No," escaped Tina's lips, in a whisper.

Ashley stepped closer to Tina. "Would you have wanted me to tell Artie what you told me?"

Tina shook her head. "No. I don't know. I was just wondering why you didn't tell him."

"He didn't ask. Besides, it was between the two of us. Girl talk!" Ashley said the last two words like a giddy school girl, lifting her shoulders in the process.

Tina laughed a little. Ashley grinned and took Tina's hand and held it with both of hers.

"Tee, don't worry. Things will be better, I promise. You'll find that happiness that you deserve."

Tina's eyes watered as she stared at Ashley's face. She smiled and nodded. She added her free hand to the clump that Ashley had created and said, "Let's do the sound check."

Ashley smiled as they proceeded to part momentarily.

* * *

Rachel walked to the parking lot from her locker in the first floor hall of the main building. As soon as she exited the main entrance, she saw Puck heading to the parking lot as well.

"Noah!"

Puck turned to her but didn't stop. He merely waved a hand.

"Noah, wait," she said, brisk-walking in order to catch up with him.

"Hey."

"Where are you going? Don't you have baseball right now?"

"Yeah, but I asked if I could leave early. My mom's sick today so I kinda got a lot of stuff to do before I go to the supermarket."

Rachel noticed that he picked up his pace a little. She was almost jogging now just to keep up. He seemed to be quite in a hurry. They got to his truck and Puck finally slowed down.

"Are you alright, Noah?"

"Yeah. I just need to go," he said, not looking at her. He opened the door and immediately entered and started the car. "Sorry, I can't talk, Rach. I'll see you around."

"Okay," she said, stepping away.

The truck pulled out and was onto the street in no time. Rachel watched quietly as Puck sped away.

That was weird, Rachel thought, but she did not think anything more of it.

On the other hand, Puck felt like an idiot as he drove off. He looked guilty of something when he didn't even do anything. That was definitely not cool, what he did back there.

"Look," he argued with himself aloud; "You gave your word to Finn. Suck it up! You did the right thing."

Puck knew that what Finn had asked from him was stupid. Finn's jealousy was misplaced and his logic wasn't working right. But, Puck figured, Finn had a right to be jealous and be illogical about it. Puck wasn't in any position to preach about trust between friends. He had no right to say 'bros before hoes' anymore. And he couldn't in good conscience open the Bro Code and point to the appropriate article to help with his case, because after all he was the first to violate it.

Now, let it be made clear that Noah Puckerman has never and will never take crap from any dude. But circumstances have changed and he has now allowed one tolerable exception—Finn.

* * *

"By the way, mom called. She said she needs a can of peas and a bag of dried mushrooms."

"Yeah, good. I was going to ask you if we could stop by the supermarket before heading home anyway." Ashley said, starting the engine.

"How's Tina?"

"Great! I was right. Her voice is awesome. Totally fits the song. It's gonna be a great number, Artie."

He nodded, happy to hear praises for Tina.

"The talent show?" Ashley inquired.

"Just as great," he said. "We got Subway."

"Yay! Are we good with our sponsors?"

"We could use one more for the prizes. Just so it would look like there's a bunch of stuff we're giving away to the winners."

Ashley nodded. "Oh yeah, Kurt said his dad is willing to co-sponsor the tarp and posters that we need. I'll check later when I get to his house."

"Okay. I need to know by tomorrow. We're sending the designs out for printing by Monday."

"Sure."

There was momentary silence that followed between them, which Ashley broke when she asked, "So… what did you and Tina talk about while we were all on stage?"

"Just stuff. I got there, like, five minutes before you ended."

Ashley sighed. "You didn't tell her. Artie…"

"There wasn't much time, okay? I mean, I can't just start off with it and have it interrupted by the others joining us."

"So, when, this time?"

"Will you stop that? You're starting to get on my nerves." Artie turned to the window and rested his chin on his knuckle.

She looked at him, then back to the road. "I didn't want to tell you this, but you obviously need something to give you a little push."

Artie turned to her and waited.

She glanced at him, exhaled, then announced, "I talked to Tina yesterday, during Chemistry."

She glanced at Artie again to check his reaction. He was still waiting.

She continued, "We talked about you."

"You didn't tell me that last night."

She sighed. "Because I didn't want to tell you. Tch. Pay attention, Arthur!"

"Wait," he said with alarm. "You asked her about me? Did you tell her what we talked about the night before?"

Ashley's eyes furrowed. "No and no! Geez, relax, will you?"

"Okay, sorry. But… how'd I come up?"

"We started off a discussion about boys in general and I asked her if there was someone she was eyeing on."

"She said me?"

Ashley smiled, but she did not take her eyes off the road. "She said she still wishes you guys could be together… something like that. The point is she's just as scared of rejection as you. That's why she never tried to do anything. She thinks you don't like her like her. You know what I'm saying?"

"But I do like her… like her."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that," Ashley emphasized, raising her index finger. "God, you're both really messed up. All those times together and it didn't pop up? A conversation about that didn't pop up at all? This is why you're still a virgin, Artie."

He laughed. "Really now. And, what's your excuse, huh?"

"Oh, shut up."

"No, tell me, Ash. I'd like to know why Miss It-Girl is still a virgin."

"Ugh. I don't know. I'm messed up too, I guess. I take after you."

"People who live in glass houses shouldn't be throwing rocks around," Artie said with a full grin plastered on his face.

"I oughta smash your glasses with rocks. See how'd you like that, you wise ass," she muttered as she parked the car and went out to get his chair from the trunk.

Artie was smug, knowing he's won this time.

The two walked toward the supermarket without a word to each other. Once inside, Ashley instructed him to do his errand while she does hers.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I gotta get some girl stuff," she answered. "Wanna come with?"

"No, I'm good. Let's meet up by the check-out counters."

Ashley got to the aisle where the tampons and other feminine products were stacked. She searched for the brand of pad she uses; but seeing something new, she ended up holding two brands of feminine pads—comparing them.

"Hey, prom queen."

Her vanity caused her to look up and turn to the speaker. "Oh, hey, Puck!"

He walked to her carrying two small cargo boxes of Whisper feminine pads. "Need help?" he asked.

Ashley grinned and raised both packs she was holding. "Sure. Are you familiar if this new one is actually more absorbent than this one?"

"Uh," he started, eyeing the packs then her face; "wouldn't you rather that I show you where the tampons are?"

Ashley's grin faded slowly, turning her expression into one of surprise coupled with confusion. "Um. I prefer using pads."

"Oh. Well, this one is super thin so it's not uncomfortable; and it has some kind of technology that absorbs better, I think. I heard the manager say that."

"Wow. Thanks," Ashley said, returning the other pack. "I thought you were kidding about offering help."

He snorted. "Actually, I was. But you asked me something and that's what I'm here for. See?" Puck pointed to his name tag, which read: I'm PUCK. How may I help you?

Ashley laughed. "Awesome."

"You with Artie?" he said, putting the boxes down.

"Yeah. He's getting a can of peas. Didn't want to take a trip with me down this aisle."

"I don't think any guy would want to be caught in this aisle."

"You're here."

"Not by choice." Puck bent and opened one of the boxes using a cutter. After replacing the blade in his back pocket, he started to stack the pads on the shelf.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

He looked at her and curled up a corner of his lips, stopping momentarily to tap his name tag, and then resumed stacking. "Go ahead."

"Suppose you don't have a baby with Quinn, would you consider being with someone else?"

He paused before putting a number of packs on the shelf. "I have been _with_ others."

"No. I mean, really be with someone. Like the way you want to be with Quinn now. Not the shallow, feelings-free kind of relationship. You get what I'm saying?"

He nodded, straightening himself up, resting an elbow on the shelf.

"So?" she asked. "Would you?"

"Maybe," he said. "I don't know. I never really thought about it."

Ashley pursed her lips and nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just wondering."

Puck was about to ask something when he was interrupted.

"There you are!" Artie exclaimed as he rolled closer to Ashley. It was only then that he realized that she was speaking to Puck. "Oh, hi, Puck."

"Hey, man."

"Ash, we have to go. Mom called. She needs her peas."

"Right," Ashley said with a laugh. "Guess we should go. Peas emergency."

"I'll bet," he said with a smile and a nod. "See you, Artie."

"Bye," Artie bid, raising a hand.

When the cousins got to the line at the checkout counter, Artie asked her, "Is he…?"

"No," Ashley said, lingering the _O_ for emphasis.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared up at her. "Are you…?"

"No! God, Artie. Really."

He raised both hands at her. "Just checking."

"And anyway, he's not as bad as he seems. I think he's changed a lot. He's definitely a better guy now than he used to be."

Artie arched an eyebrow in response.

Ashley rolled her eyes and said, "It's still a no, okay?"

* * *

_**A/N: Next Chapter: Happy Together**_


	19. Happy Together

_**A/N: Guys, I decided to put all comments, shout outs and particular notes at the end of the chapter. I think new readers would appreciate that because it wouldn't look too cluttered. So, this is the last author's note up here. See you down there! :)**_

* * *

Chapter 19

Happy Together

* * *

Artie had never paid attention to Tina as much and as publicly as he did the next day of school. After his first class (where he wasn't with Tina), he called her up and told her that he'll come over to her classroom to _walk_ with her to her next class. Tina found it weird, of course, but she waited for him anyway. And, that scene repeated over for every class that they weren't in together.

During glee rehearsals, he sat with her while both of them watched Ashley lead the rest of the members of the club in the dance. When they started chatting, they became oblivious to their surroundings—laughing loudly and kicking the back of the audience seats as they joked around—that at one point, Ashley shouted to their direction and told them to shut up. They just laughed even more and made her the object of their ridicule (muffling their hysterics this time). Artie waited and watched (and clapped as an active audience) while Tina performed her solo on the stage for a couple of times before Ashley decided that it was good enough for them to call it a day.

Tina had dinner at Artie's house. It was a big gathering in which Kurt and Santana had also been in attendance. When Kurt announced that he and Mercedes were meeting up to watch a movie and asked if the others wanted to join them, Artie looked to Tina for an answer. She smiled and nodded. So, Ashley and Santana were left alone to discuss Cheerios matters.

Artie lay in bed that night thinking it was the best day ever; because it was a day wholly spent with Tina. He smiled and decided that he was going to tell her tomorrow how he feels about her. _And then, we could be happy together everyday,_ he thought to himself, _just like today._

* * *

_**A/N: Oh my… I'm sorry to see that there are more and more negativity as regards Ashley's character. On the other hand, I really am happy to know that you guys are enjoying the flow of the story. :) This is a super short chapter, I know. But I really feel that this deserves a chapter all its own.**_

Proud Marry_**: I'm not talking to you anymore. You're spoiling my story! LOL! J/K! Thanks again!**_

Scrubs-Friends-Glee-NCISmaniac_**: You know what, I found a TinaxPuck (Tuck?)shipping fic and I have to admit that it is a pretty cute story so far (still incomplete). Between you and me, I just might turn this whole story around. LOL! (Just kidding y'all!) 18 chapters in one sitting? Wow! Thank you for that! Stuff like that really makes me feel happy. Thanks!**_

_**Shout out to**_ elliequick_**,**_ A Amanda A_**,**_ iHaveALuv4Music _**&**_ Nevergonnafitin_**!**_

_**Next Chapter: Artie - Tina**_


	20. Artie Tina

Chapter 20

Artie - Tina

* * *

Since the baseball varsity and the Cheerios had practice on Saturday mornings, glee rehearsals were scheduled in the afternoon. Quinn, Tina and Artie spent the morning in the student council office, while Ashley took a trip with Kurt and Mercedes to the suit rentals shop just outside of town for their costumes in the number she's directing. Rachel was at home, vocalizing.

When afternoon came, and Ashley gathered the members on the stage, Artie and Tina were left alone on the seats. For awhile, the two of them watched as Ashley gave each member pointers before beginning with rehearsals. Tina was fascinated at how quickly the redhead was able to create the choreography and teach it to everyone—in a matter of three days they already learned the dances for most of the song! Finn's two left feet didn't even slow everyone down.

The studio recording of the song began to play. The two watched as their friends danced on stage. Ashley was at the edge—frozen in place—scrutinizing, no doubt, every kid's movement. In the second round of the chorus, Ashley shifted her weight and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Someone made a mistake," Artie whispered to Tina.

"Really? How'd you know?"

"See how Ash moved? It means she's annoyed."

"Really… I didn't notice anything."

"I think I did. If I'm not mistaken, it was Perry."

As soon as the music died down, and before the ensemble relaxed, Ashley spoke. "Perry, mind your feet. If I can see that slip-up from here, what more the judges from way out there?"

Tina shot Artie a look. "Wow, those glasses you have on must have binocular capabilities."

Artie laughed.

"Let's run another one before Kurt and I teach you the last steps," Ashley announced. She turned to the audience, her view focusing at the top in the control room window. "Ben, let's do another one please? Thanks!" She returned to those on stage, without so much as a glance directed to the two on the seats near the exit.

The music played again; everyone on stage danced again.

Tina watched intently. She wasn't going to see this when they're all in full costume, so she took in every moment of it—trying to imagine what it would look like on dress rehearsals.

Artie watched Tina discreetly. She looked so captivated, he thought; but Artie was captivated too.

"Tee…?"

"Yeah?" she responded, not tearing her gaze from the stage.

"I…" he started.

Tina turned to him and waited.

"There's something I want to do."

"What?" she asked leaning closer to him, excited at the prospect of a new activity.

Artie drew in a breath and leaned in. His lips landed on hers.

Tina froze in surprise, but no sooner had warmth coursed through her body making her raise a hand to touch Artie's face. She kissed him back, slowly but with obvious longing. How long had she waited to be where she is now! She had been very patient, taking whatever Artie had decided to give her. Now her heart was filled with joy to have her lips come home. Her patience had paid off and she's never been happier.

Artie slowly pulled away and took Tina's face in his hands, a concerned expression painted on his features. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes were spilling tears; but she smiled at Artie. Tina shook her head, unable to speak lest her sobs would echo on the walls of the auditorium and distract their friends.

But, there was no more need to be careful because every living being on the stage saw the whole thing. And while the music kept on playing, they watched still, a smile on each of their faces. The girls', as well as Kurt's, eyes watered, feeling warm inside as they witnessed the scene.

For some reason, Quinn was drawn to sneak a glance at Puck. She smiled secretly at him. For some reason, Puck felt an urge to turn to Quinn's direction. He met her smile. Quinn didn't look away. They shared their own moment right there on the stage.

Ashley held back her tears from escaping. Beyond the water that clouded her vision, she saw Tina stir and guessed that the girl was getting ready to stand up. She turned back to the group and clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Alright, guys," she said. "Let's just do that one more time okay?"

As they went to their respective positions, Ashley turned to the control room to tell Ben to restart the music. She noticed that Tina and Artie were no longer in the audience.

* * *

"I—I'm sorry, Tee. I didn't mean—"

"No, Artie. Please don't apologize for that."

"But, you're crying."

Tina had exited swiftly from the auditorium because she didn't feel comfortable with people seeing her cry. Artie was taken by surprise at the suddenness of her departure, but he'd quickly maneuvered himself to follow her. They ended up in the empty hall of the school.

Tina wiped her face using her arm warmers before turning to look at Artie. "Because I'm happy. You shouldn't apologize," she said with a smile.

Artie's face found his smile too. "I should," he said. "I should apologize for waiting this long to do that."

Her emotions were a whirlwind. She was happy. She was confused. She was surprised. She was afraid. All these emotions showed on her face; and Artie saw it all.

He wheeled himself closer to her, as he said, "I'm sorry… for all the wasted time, Tina. I guess I had been so scared that I put myself in a box. But, that's over. I'm not scared anymore."

"Artie…"

"Tee, I know I'm not much—I mean, my legs aren't working right after all—but I care about you. And, I want to be with you. I'll be a great boyfriend, I promise."

Tina's eyes began to water again. She stared into his hopeful blue eyes and smiled. She quietly sat on his lap, her knees leaning on the edge of the chair's armrest. She wrapped her arms around Artie's neck, and kissed him again.

She pulled away gently after a moment and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I want to be with you too, Artie. I always have," she whispered in his ear. She felt Artie wrap his arms around her.

Tina's lips quivered. "But, I can't," she choked. As soon as she said the words, she tightened her embrace on him.

"What?" Artie asked, unsure if he heard her correctly.

Tina let go and slowly moved away from him. "I can't, Artie," she said as she stood. "I can't be with you."

"I don't—I don't understand, Tina. Why are you doing this?"

"I need to do this for me," she said quietly.

"I'm too late," he said absent-mindedly.

"Artie…"

He looked up at her. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

"I'm so sorry." Tina didn't bother suppressing her tears anymore. They flowed freely as she looked back at the boy. "I'm sorry, Artie," she said, running away before she completely breaks down in front of him.

This time it was Artie's turn to watch her disappear at the end of the hall.

* * *

"Artie and Tina never came back," Mercedes said as she walked to Kurt and Ashley after the day's rehearsals.

"I know, right?" Ashley commented while fixing her things.

"Must be an insane make-out session," Kurt said.

"S'bout time those two hook up," Mercedes supplied.

Ashley smiled as she listened to them.

"I know," Kurt replied. "There's just no way they shouldn't be together."

"I thought they were super sweet last night at the movies," Mercedes declared.

Ashley looked at her. "Really? I haven't asked Artie about it yet. What happened?"

Kurt spoke as the three of them began to walk towards the backstage exit. "Oh god. They were, like, giggling and whispering to each other the entire movie."

"The entire time, you mean," Mercedes interjected.

"How cute!" Ashley flashed a giddy smile.

"At first, it was. But they were doing it the entire night! I wanted to vomit."

Ashley laughed at Mercedes' sassiness. Kurt nodded exaggeratedly in affirmation.

"You've never seen them that way?" Ashley asked.

"Never."

"Nope."

"Wow," Ashley exhaled. "All that passion must have been kept locked away all this time."

"Oh yeah," Mercedes said. "Did you see that kiss?"

"Who didn't?" Kurt reacted.

"I have to tell you," Mercedes began, checking her left and right quickly like she was about to say something confidential. "I kinda thought there was more to that kiss. Like, I'm missing something. It's like I'm looking at the two of them for the first time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurt asked, intrigue sounding off in his tone.

Mercedes shook her head. "I can't put my finger on it. Something's amiss."

Ashley figured that Mercedes was talking about a possible history between Artie and Tina. Frankly, she thought Tina looked like the girl's been deprived of something for so long, which she finally got that afternoon. Perhaps, everyone saw that too.

"Hm," Ashley said. "Maybe we'll find that out if we make them tell us what happened. I'll ask Artie later." She have to ask her cousin if it was okay now to tell the others about what had happened between him and Tina last year.

"That's good. I'm fishing some info from Tee tonight," Mercedes said.

"Well, divas, I'm this way," Kurt announced.

"I'll check if Artie's inside the school. He didn't text me."

"I'm going ahead too," Amber said. "See you tomorrow, hotness."

After Kurt and Mercedes had walked away, Ashley called Artie's cell. No answer. She tried again. Nothing. Ashley got a bit annoyed at this. To her mind, it's not a valid excuse for him not to check in just because he's having a happy time with his girlfriend.

Ashley dialed Tina's cell.

"_Hello?"_ said Tina from the other end of the line.

"Thank goodness," Ashley let out. "Where are you? Rehearsal's over."

"_I'm at home, Ash."_

"Wow. You could've texted me, you know. So do I pick Artie up or what?"

"_He's not here."_ Tina was sullen, Ashley realized.

"What?" Ashley asked with obvious alarm. "Where is he?"

"_I don't… He must still be in sku—school…_." Ashley thought she heard Tina's voice crack. Was she crying?

"Tee, what happened?" Ashley asked, hoping it didn't sound like she was holding Tina accountable for Artie.

_"I… I can't talk right now, Ash. I'm s-sorry. I have to go."_

The line went dead.

"Oh no," Ashley whispered to herself.

She quickly redialed Artie's number as she ran inside the school to search for him. She checked the choir room first. It was free of any living thing. She sprinted towards the student council office, dialing his number again. Nobody was in the office and Artie still wasn't answering his phone.

"Oh god. Where the hell are you, Artie?" She mumbled.

Ashley set aside the dialing and decided to check every room in the school. When that proved to be unsuccessful, she went out to the fields. She jogged around to check every corner; and then she braved the boys' locker room. No Artie.

She sat on the bleachers facing the field, catching her breath. The sun was beginning to set. She felt like crying as she did her final attempt at Artie's cell before calling his parents. Again, it rang and rang, but was not answered.

She slumped and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. She began to search Artie's home number when his name flashed and blinked on the screen—an incoming call.

"Artie!" She exclaimed the moment she answered and put the phone to her ear. "I've been calling you! Where are you?"

_"I'm in the parking lot."_

Click.

"Artie?" Ashley stood and ran to the parking lot upon realizing that he'd hang up.

Ashley saw him from a distance. He was by her car, unmoving, hands timidly clasped on his lap and staring at the road beyond the almost-empty lot. She rushed to him as if tragedy had stricken.

"Artie," said Ashley, pausing to catch her breath. "What happened?"

He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her. He simply pressed his lips tight, holding back sobs from escaping. He had cried like a baby in the bathroom after Tina ran off. When he was all cried out, he had wheeled himself around school grounds until his arms tired. He eventually ended up where he was now.

Ashley knelt next to Artie, not minding her bare knees scraping against the concrete. She gripped one armrest with both hands, quietly searching his eyes behind the thick glasses.

"Let's go home, okay?" she whispered.

Artie slowly nodded, still not looking at her.

"Okay," she said again.

She stood and walked behind his chair. And, for the first time, in a very long time, Ashley pushed Artie's wheelchair to get him around.

* * *

_**A/N: Sound off your love/hate, guys. I'd appreciate it.**_

elliequick_**– I read it! I loved it! Thanks for telling me about it.**_

_**Next Chapter: Sunday Morning Practice**_


	21. Sunday Morning Practice

Chapter 21

Sunday Morning Practice

* * *

7:45am. Ashley left the house to go to the 7-11. She arrived at the store less than five minutes later and proceeded to get two cans of Red Bull. She went back to her car and drove to school for their 9am practice. Being that the parking lot was empty, she chose to rest her car on the space nearest to the auditorium entrance.

She turned off the engine and opened the window slightly to allow some air to enter while she ate the sandwich she'd made that morning. Ashley opened a can of Red Bull and drank it like it was Pepsi.

It was eerily quiet—in the car, in the parking lot, in her head. She was exhausted from lack of a reasonable amount of sleep. She spent the greater part of the night thinking about Artie and Tina, and the number—but really, mainly about Artie.

He'd been quiet since she saw him yesterday in the parking lot. He wouldn't eat dinner and he wouldn't speak at all when asked about what was wrong with him. His parents had asked Ashley about what happened in school that day and she wasn't sure how to answer because she didn't know it herself. But she was certain it had something to do with Tina. Both of them seemed gravely upset judging by the tones of their voices.

Today is the first and last time glee is practicing this number together (with Tina singing live) before they perform in front of Will tomorrow afternoon. But, Ashley didn't text Tina to confirm if the girl would show up at rehearsals. She figured, it would be inconsiderate of her to make Tina come to rehearsals when, clearly, she needs some time alone to think or get over something.

A knock on her window, coupled with a soft call of her name, brought Ashley out of her trance. She turned and saw Puck.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Ashley checked the clock on her dashboard—8:10 it said—then returned to Puck and nodded. He opened the door without warning; and somehow, Ashley thought she was required to step out, so she did.

"You don't look alright. You look like you got hit by a bus."

Ashley scowled at him and folded her arms in front of her, leaning against the car. Puck fought back a grin. He fixed a concerned expression on his face instead.

"No, I'm serious," he said. "You look terrible. If someone sees you like that I'm not sure you'll be able to maintain your status in this school."

Ashley turned to look at her reflection in the car window. She sighed and dropped her arms. She did look terrible.

"Come on," Puck said. "Get your stuff. Let's go inside so you can fix yourself."

Ashley didn't give it a thought. She just followed.

* * *

"I'm on my way to you right now," Kurt said to Mercedes over the phone.

_ "Did you talk to Ash?"_

"No. But, I'm sure she's already in school. Why?"

_ "I tried calling Tina last night and she won't answer. That's not like her at all."_

Kurt stopped in front of Mercedes' house. She was already on the sidewalk then, so she immediately opened the passenger door of the SUV.

"Well, she'll be in rehearsals today. We could ask her then. Maybe they were busy together 'til late at night." Kurt said as soon as she was seated.

"What, you think they did something?" Mercedes asked, a sneaky smile on her face.

"Oh god," Kurt reacted. "I wasn't even thinking that!"

Mercedes laughed her hearty laugh before they proceeded to discuss glee club matters.

* * *

"Don't you think Noah's been acting kind of weird lately?" Rachel asked, maneuvering her body to look at Finn, extending the seat belt as she did so.

Finn, surprised that Puck's name had been suddenly brought up, glanced quickly at Rachel and then back to the road. "I didn't notice anything," he shrugged, in an attempt to look unfazed.

"Really?"

"Same Puck I've always known."

She leaned her back against the chair, looking straight. "Huh. It's probably just me then."

"It's just you. You were probably too upset about the whole Ashley-has-full-command thing that it made you look at things differently."

"No," she replied in a calm and thoughtful manner. "I mean, it's just me that he's being weird with."

Finn gripped the wheel for a second, complementing the skip of his heartbeat. "H—how is he weird?"

"Well, I almost feel like he's avoiding me or something."

"All the time?"

"No, not all the time. Just… just sometimes." Rachel shook her head. "I don't know."

"You're just imagining it, Rach. The man's always tired, maybe that's why he's like that. Forget about it."

Rachel smiled weakly at Finn and nodded.

* * *

Ashley checked herself in the mirror before she exited the bathroom. "Oh, hey," she greeted faintly, surprised to see Puck at the other side of the door.

"Well, you cleaned up good. How do you feel?"

"Red Bull hasn't kicked in yet, I think." She furrowed her eyebrow. "Did you hang out here the whole time I was in there?"

He shrugged. "Didn't really have anywhere else I needed to be."

She smiled.

"Got a text from Finn. Everybody's already at the auditorium."

Her eyes widened as she searched for her cellphone inside her bag. "Eleven missed calls," she groaned as she read the screen. She fiddled with the device, then announced, "Kurt texted too."

They hurried to the auditorium without speaking. When they got to the backstage door, Puck opened it and signaled for her to be the first to enter. She looked at him and nodded.

Ashley walked quickly and got to the stage, immediately apologizing for being late as soon as she was within the view of the glee club members. She walked directly to where Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn were.

"Why won't you answer your phone?" Kurt demanded.

"I forgot that it was in silent mode. Sorry."

Puck got to the stage and made his way to where the jocks were huddled. Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn followed Puck with their eyes, before returning their gaze to Ashley.

"Tina's not here yet," Mercedes said. "And she's not answering her phone too. Since last night. Is there something wrong? What did Artie say?"

Ashley looked at each of their eagerly waiting faces, and sighed. "I don't know what happened because Artie wouldn't talk to me at all."

"They obviously got into a fight or something," Quinn contributed.

"Yeah, that's my bet too," Ashley affirmed with a nod.

"You might want to include the rest of the club in this little meeting? Or at the very least the captains?" Rachel interrupted, crashing into the conversation and settling between Quinn and Mercedes with her arms crossed.

"This is not about the number, okay?" Kurt snapped.

"Then why are you discussing it here? Everyone got up really early for this rehearsals—which, by the way, I think is too indulgent. Sunday morning practice? Even Ms. Sylvester doesn't do this. I think you're abusing this complete power bestowed upon you." Rachel said, directing the last sentence at Ashley.

Kurt gave Quinn a look that she interpreted to be 'I'm just about ready to slap this little girl silly'.

"Um," Quinn began, resting her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "It's Tina. We can't get a hold of her."

"Oh," Rachel breathed out, realizing that there was something else going on. "Did Artie—?"

Ashley shook her head.

"What happened?"

Ashley turned to Mercedes. The diva took this as a cue to be the one to tell Rachel that the kissing scene yesterday had not ended on a happy note. They were all silent for a moment, pensive.

"There's nothing we can do about that now," Rachel finally said.

They all looked at her.

"We…." Rachel paused to make sure that the words come out of her mouth correctly. "We're all here. Let's just rehearse, as scheduled. And then, later, we could discuss more about this issue and maybe find a way to help our friends."

The four stared at her. This made Rachel uncomfortable. Then, Ashley nodded.

"You're right," Ashley said to Rachel. "She's right," she said to Kurt, who was beside her. She turned to the others and announced with authority, "Let's use the studio recording for now."

"But, tomorrow, what if Tina's still not up to it?" Quinn asked bluntly.

Ashley weakened. She didn't have any back up plan and wasn't thinking clearly enough to find the solution. But, she didn't have to because Rachel had the answer.

"Ashley's singing lead."

"Really?" Mercedes asked sharply. "Wouldn't you rather that you take the solo?"

"I…" Rachel was surprised at Mercedes' brazen inquiry. But she immediately got her confidence back and, with her chin up, answered, "It's going to affect the production if my partner gets a new partner. We have to present this to Mr. Schue tomorrow, right? So we have to be logical about this. Ashley knows the song perfectly. We don't need to disturb the dynamics of the group."

Quinn, Mercedes and Kurt, astounded at this seldom seen side of Rachel, turned to join the other members of glee at the middle of the stage. Rachel and Ashley smiled at each other before they walked to their respective positions on the stage.

* * *

Tina opened her eyes. Her room was pitch black except for the light coming from the clockradio on her nightstand that read 9:14am.

_Rehearsals_, she thought as she stared at the red numbers. She'd locked herself in her room since she got home yesterday. She had neither eaten nor drank anything since then. No one at home had even noticed; but she was thankful for this. There was no way she'd open up to her parents—as far as she's concerned, they're strangers.

When Tina left Artie yesterday, she couldn't stop crying. She entered the nearest broom closet she came across and fell down sobbing on the floor next to a couple of buckets and mops. She was pretty sure that there were at least three people that walked by and heard her in there; thankfully though they didn't open the door. When she'd stopped shaking and her tear ducts had tired, she wiped her face and exited the closet—thankful again that the hall was empty. She went straight to her car and headed home.

The moment she had laid on her bed, the tears started to fall again. It had momentarily halted when she spoke to Ashley on the phone. But, when she realized that Artie was probably alone and miserable, she sobbed again—gripping her sheets and curling herself into the fetal position. She had cried herself to sleep only to wake up at two in the morning, crying, until she fell asleep again.

Slowly, she sat up and turned to the window. The thick black drapes completely prevented the sunlight from entering her room. _Please be a nice day_, she begged quietly.

After taking a bath and dressing up, Tina went straight to the kitchen. A note stuck on the refrigerator door caught her attention. _At the country club. Enjoy your Sunday, honey! Mom and Dad._ Tina smirked as she opened the door and scoured for food.

After eating a banana and gulping a glass of orange juice, she was out the door. As she drove to school, she thought about what to say when she's face to face with Ashley. Tina was about 99% sure that Ashley hated her. She thought about whether Artie was there or not; and if the others already knew. These were all in her head, but there were no resolutions for any of them. The resolutions will have to come later on when she gets to her destination.

The school grounds were quiet, except that as Tina came nearer the backstage entrance of the auditorium she could hear music playing from inside. _Of course they're rehearsing without me, Ashley would never cancel rehearsals_, she figured. _Oh God, I don't want to go in there._

She opened the door anyway and walked inside.

"That was good. Except, Puck and Jean? There were a couple of times that you were dancing ahead of the others. You need to be attentive to your surroundings." Ashley sounded off. She was once again at the edge of the stage, judging their dancing. "Now, let's—"

Tina's appearance from the shadows cut Ashley in the middle of her sentence. Everyone turned to the latecomer.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Tina said. She stood still as she looked at everyone's faces, taking note specifically of Kurt's and Mercedes' reactions.

"It's alright," Ashley said in a much lesser volume than her last statement. "Okay, guys," Ashley declared, turning to the others and with a domineering tone again. "Let's try this with Tina. Matt, would you please set up the mic stand right here? Everyone else, take five."

Ashley saw that Kurt and Mercedes immediately went over to Tina. She looked at the Asian girl, who timidly smiled at her. Ashley nodded, straight-faced, before getting off the stage on her way to the control room.

* * *

_**A/N: So, I had to insert something non-Artina/Tartie related to update the statuses of the other characters. Making way for their own stories. :)**_

_**Much love to**_ HanaDear**_, _**XxAlwaysAnonymousxX**_,_** VampireGleek**_,_** maggie-mae-pie _**& of course, **_Proud Marry**_!_**

_**Next Chapter: Do Right**_


	22. Do Right

Chapter 22

Do Right

* * *

Tina felt like Ashley had been avoiding her since she got to the auditorium. Ashley never really acknowledged her except only to comment on and criticize her singing. Outside rehearsals, the redhead acted as if she didn't exist. Ashley didn't even join them for lunch; the girl went off somewhere with Santana and Brittany.

The others didn't really notice, Tina thought. They were all too busy interrogating her about what happened yesterday between her and Artie (by _they_ she meant Mercedes, Kurt, Quinn, Rachel and Finn). She was exhausted from the guilt and pain she'd been harboring since that time in the hallway when she hurt Artie. Crying, obviously, could only do so much; so, she decided to confess to her friends, hoping that it would lessen her burden.

When practice ended, Kurt and Mercedes invited Tina to go to the mall with them. They wanted to try and take her mind off of Artie even for a while. Tina, however, was not up to it and declined. The best friends were wary of leaving her alone, thinking that she might just break down again and lock herself up in her room. "It's just not healthy," Kurt said.

"I'll be fine. I'm not gonna do anything stupid," Tina argued wearily.

They eyed her with a suspicious look.

Tina rolled her eyes. "I know I look kind of emo and all that, but I am NOT suicidal or prone to self-injury.

"Those kinds of people don't usually admit to it, you know," Kurt pointed out.

"That's true," said Mercedes.

Tina held back a laugh, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Fine, fine," Mercedes said. She then turned to look at Kurt. "Let's not force her. We gotta go anyway. Plenty of grounds to cover before daylight's out."

Kurt nodded then turned to Tina. "If you change your mind—"

"I _will_ call you," Tina finished.

She walked with them to Kurt's SUV and saw them off. Once they were gone, Tina went and sat in her car, and waited for Ashley.

* * *

"Noah!"

Puck turned to see Rachel walking towards him. He groaned quietly.

"I've been trying to call you," she said as she approached.

Puck put back the bag of chips he took from the 7-11 shelf. "Really? I just heard you once, just now."

Rachel shook her head. "No, I mean, I've been trying to call your cell last night. You weren't answering."

"Uh, yeah. I was kinda busy. Forgot to call back."

She studied him.

"What," he said.

"Are you avoiding me, Noah?"

"What?" he retorted, too fast. He realized this and concealed his alarm with a smirk. "Don't I always?" Puck said in an effort to be cool about it.

"No," she said softly.

"Look, Rach, what do you want me to say?"

"Did I do something wrong? I mean, other than the usual crazy you think I do."

Puck stared back at her. This wasn't the crazy, everyday Rachel. This was his Rachel staring back at him. The girl he'd talk about Quinn with. The girl he'd call in the middle of the night to vent out his frustrations about his life. The girl who didn't think twice to come over when he couldn't stop crying like a damn girl. The girl who had kept all of it on the down-low. _His_ Rachel.

He sighed. "Rach…"

She waited patiently; the kind of patience that she has never extended to anyone but Finn, because she loved him, and Puck, because he's the closest she's ever gotten to a best friend.

_God damn it_, Puck sounded off in his head. _You fuckin' ungrateful bastard!_

"I got nothing to say to you, okay!" Puck snapped.

Rachel recoiled.

"You're getting on my nerves, Berry," he ended.

"I—I just…" she began, recovering from the sudden eruption of anger that was directed at her.

"Geez… Whassamatter with you? I don't know why you're making a big deal outta this! I'm tired. I got a lot of things on my mind. Just leave me alone."

He walked past her and out the door of that 7-11. When he got to his truck, he gripped on the side just so he wouldn't fall down. He immediately got into the driver's seat, shut his eyes and breathed slowly. It took all his energy to refrain from turning back to check on her; from getting out of the car and running back to apologize to her.

_Think about Finn. You need to do right by your boy_, said that voice in his brain, trying to convince him.

Meanwhile, Rachel froze in place. Even after he left, she didn't move. She was confused, not sure of what just happened. A boy carrying a mop walked past in front of her, only to retrace his steps and settle his gaze at her. Rachel looked at him and reflexively reached for a bag of chips. She turned and marched slowly to the counter, where she paid for the junk food that she doesn't eat.

* * *

Ashley wasn't really avoiding Tina the whole day; she simply didn't have anything to say to the girl. She wasn't certain of how she felt for Tina at the moment because she really has no idea what was going on. But, she didn't feel like having a conversation with the Asian just yet while she hasn't spoken to Artie.

She saw how Kurt and Mercedes hounded Tina whenever they had the chance. She wasn't with them during lunch, but she was pretty sure that there was a full blown Barbara Walters moment that happened there. She was almost tempted to ask Kurt about it before they began rehearsals again in the afternoon, but she didn't have the energy to think about things other than the number.

As soon as practice ended, Kurt came up to her and said, "Tina told us what happened."

Ashley stared at him for a moment, and then she nodded.

"Don't you want to know what she said?"

"I do. But, I'm tired, sweetheart. I just want to go home and sleep."

"It's 2:30 in the afternoon," Kurt pointed.

"I know. I'm just gonna get me a couple of hours' nap. I'll call you tonight?"

"You should." Kurt came closer to her and lowered his voice. "Listen, if you speak to Artie first, don't judge just yet, okay?"

Ashley's eyebrows met in between. "What—"

Kurt shook his head. "Just promise you won't judge before you hear both sides."

She nodded. Kurt kissed her goodbye on the cheek before he left the auditorium.

It was past 3pm when Ashley made her way to the parking lot. She and Santana had practiced some dance moves on the stage for the Cheerios after every glee kid was gone. She was digging into her bag, searching for her car keys, when a familiar voice said her name.

"Ash," Tina said softly, but almost causing an echo with all the silence that surrounded them.

Ashley looked up to see the girl in black and froze.

"Can we talk?"

"I don't…" Ashley searched for words to say. "I don't have anything to say."

"I do," said Tina.

Ashley dropped her arms and sighed. "Look, Tina, I don't know what's going on. Artie won't speak to me—that's not right, you know. So whatever it is you have to say, I'm not sure I want to hear it."

"He hasn't said anything?" Tina rhetorically asked; her voice was painted with realization and it sidetracked her from the purpose of why she wanted to speak with the girl in front of her. "Is he okay?"

Ashley scowled. "Didn't I just say that he won't speak to me? That means he's not okay." Her voice was harsh and her words spitted hatred.

Tina was slightly taken aback. She's never heard Ashley speak that way—to anyone. In the midst of her surprise, she breathed out an involuntary "I'm sorry."

The fatigue so suddenly faded from Ashley and was replaced by brewing anger. With gritting teeth and a low voice, she asked Tina, "What did you do?"

A lump caught in Tina's throat. Between her growing fear of Ashley and the sorrow of remembering what she had done to Artie, she could only open her mouth to say nothing.

Ashley stared at Tina, trying to figure out what the girl is on about. She stepped closer and aired out her guess. "You turned him down, didn't you?" When Tina didn't answer, she asked, "Why?"

Tina was having eye contact with the pavement, afraid to look up at the redhead. A teardrop hit the gray concrete; and then another. She heard Ashley make a heavy sigh. She looked up to see the girl walking away. Tina followed; and as Ashley opened the door of the parked blue Toyota Prius, she called out, "I didn't want to hurt him. I care about him, Ash."

Ashley flipped her head to look at Tina. She walked to the crying girl, leaving the door of her car wide open. "Why, then, Tee? Why would you hurt him like that?"

"I," Tina said as she began to sob uncontrollably. "I can't… his chair… I feel… like… what if… not real."

Any person listening in could not have possibly understood any of that. Tina choked every word and no coherent sentences were really formulated. But, Ashley was upset, and she was tired, and when she heard Tina mention Artie's chair, she had drawn her own conclusions. And, it made her even more angry.

"His chair!" Ashley exclaimed incredulously. "You suddenly have issues about Artie's chair? That's perfect, Tina!"

"N-no. That's not what I meant," Tina quickly replied.

Ashley walked briskly to her car, sat in the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.

Tina ran to the car and tried to explain through the glass window.

But, it was evidently futile. Ashley wouldn't hear anymore of it. She didn't even look at the girl with bright red streaks on her hair, who was hysterically explaining outside her car. She drove away, gripping the wheel as hard as she can.

"No, no, no, no," Tina repeated to herself as she ran back to her car. She got her phone and, with shaking hands, tried to dial Kurt's number. He didn't answer. She tried calling Mercedes, but the call wasn't answered as well.

Her head fell on the steering wheel, defeated, tears streaming down her face. "Oh god. Please… don't tell Artie that. Please don't."

* * *

**_A/N: Ack! I'm so sorry for not updating soon! I'm trying to post something every 3 or 4 days, but I got writer's block again! It must be the heat coz it's like a hundred degrees in this part of the world! Ugh!_**

**_And I know this chapter is terribly hanging for all you Artina fans. Forgive me for making you guys wait again… hopefully it won't be too long this time around._**

**_I also realized that I'm being such a bad girl for constantly teasing Finchel & Quick shippers throughout this super long story. Peace guys! I'm not going to disappoint you though, I promise. :)_**

**_So this "note" is practically an entire story in length already. LOL! Got one last thing to say though…_**

**_Much love to_** VoiceInMyHead **_& super sweetie_** xx-cristieee-xx**_! And to everyone still reading! Mwah! I'm missing everyone else's reviews...  
_**

**_Next Chapter: The Reason Why_**


	23. The Reason Why

Chapter 23

The Reason Why

* * *

Artie had woken up that Sunday before daylight even broke outside. He had stared blankly at the ceiling. He had heard Ashley start the engine of her car and drive off. He had heard his mom make breakfast in the kitchen. He had even heard birds chirping outside of his window. But, all he had done was stare at the ceiling.

After eating his breakfast, which his mom had brought into his room, he started thinking about Tina. It was only then that he realized that she didn't really give him an explanation why she can't be with him. She cried, she apologized, but she didn't say why.

He thought about the possibility that maybe there was someone else. Mike? Could be. He had spent hours lying on his bed in yesterday's clothes pondering on that. It didn't really bring him anywhere. There was no epiphany that occurred. He wasn't the least bit enlightened. He was still confused. Confused and itchy. So, he pushed himself up and out of his bed; and took a bath and changed his clothes.

At around 2:30pm, he got a text from Ashley. _Lazy Guppy. I'll be home before 4. You want anything from 7-11?_ He didn't reply; just propelled the phone to his bed. He wheeled towards the window where he settled, staring down at the empty street. Normally, children played there during this time, but today was an exception. It was too quiet, except for the sound coming from the TV in the den.

Artie decided to get out of there, so he asked his dad to drive him somewhere. His mom couldn't be more relieved that he was capable of interacting with them again. She didn't press him about his actions the night before and during the entire morning. If Ashley was correct in saying that the problem could be about a girl, then maybe his father would be the better parent for him to discuss it with.

"What's the matter, son?" asked his dad when they were alone in the car.

"Nothing."

His dad sighed heavily. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I know. I just don't want to talk about it right now. Still trying to figure things out, you know."

His dad glanced at him and nodded. "Can I say something though?"

"Do I want to hear it?" Artie asked, turning to him.

His dad shook his head. "Probably not."

There was a pause as Artie pondered on it. He almost snickered at how his dad could be so weird sometimes, like right now.

"But, there's a big possibility that it might keep me awake tonight if I don't get it out of me," his dad said when the pause lingered.

He rolled his eyes, a smile curling up the corners of his lips. "Fine."

"Girls, they don't define you. They come. They go. They're part of your life; but they're not your life."

"She's not just a girl, dad. She's so much more than that. Same way Ashley's not just my cousin. She's my best friend. Are you getting this?"

His dad nodded. "Yeah, I'm down."

"Right. So, it's not easy to wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to lose her."

"Ashley?"

"Tina."

Artie's parents only knew Tina as one of the girls in glee club. They've met her several times when New Directions performed, but there never really had been an instance that made it seem like Artie liked her more than a friend.

"The pretty Asian girl?" his dad checked.

"The prettiest Asian girl," Artie corrected.

His dad raised both hands in the air. "My bad."

"Eh," Artie shrugged. "S'cool."

"So, you gon' try to win her back, is why we be rollin' over to yo' school?"

"Gon' try to find out what's up, is more like it. Women confuse me sometimes."

"Damn straight."

They nodded in synchrony ending their wannabe ghetto conversation.

* * *

Ashley parked her car on the Abrams' driveway; she turned off the engine, got out of the car, and walked briskly to the front door. She had a hand on the door knob when a deafening car horn sounded off—enough to get her attention and make her turn to where it came from. By the sidewalk was a familiar shiny ride.

"What's going on here?" Artie's mom demanded as soon as the door flew open.

"It's okay. It's just Kurt," Ashley said, reassuring the woman.

Artie's mom turned to where the SUV was parked and then at Ashley, and nodded. Ashley turned back to the street as her Aunt went back inside the house. Kurt and Mercedes were already halfway across the lawn.

"What the heck?" Ashley exclaimed.

"We need to talk," Kurt said in a calm, but firm, tone.

Before any more words could be uttered, Mercedes already had Ashley's wrist and was pulling her away from the house. They stopped on the sidewalk beside the car.

"What do you both think you're doing?" Ashley asked, retrieving her hand from the black girl's grip.

"We need to talk," Kurt reiterated.

"Fine! But is there really a need to disturb the entire neighborhood's afternoon peace?"

"We had to get your attention," Mercedes started; "before you enter the house."

"Why?"

"Have you talked to Artie?" Mercedes said in reply.

"Wha—No. I told you he wouldn't talk to me."

"Good," Kurt said. "We can't let you talk to Artie."

Ashley's eyebrows met tightly in between, her forehead creasing at the same time. She looked at the two with wild confusion as if they were crazy. "What is going on?"

"Tina called us," Kurt answered.

Not a minute had passed since Tina had given up dialing both of their numbers when they checked on their phones. Kurt immediately returned Tina's call. She was hysterical as she explained what had happened between her and Ashley. It had been lucky that Kurt and Mercedes were already near the mall exit; so they rushed to his car and drove to Artie's house, with Mercedes calling Ashley's cell the whole way.

Ashley instantly realized why the two were there before her. She relaxed as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I don't want to hear it."

"It's not what you think, Ash," Mercedes said.

"And it wouldn't be fair for you to tell Artie your erroneous conclusion," Kurt finished.

Ashley bounced her gaze back and forth at the two of them before she said, "I wasn't going to tell Artie."

They stared at her with a doubting expression.

Ashley exhaled a sharp sigh. "I'm not going to be the one to tell him that. I thought it over during the drive home, and if there's someone he should hear it from, it should be Tina. But, I can't say I'm not angry when I heard her say something about his chair."

"It's not like that," Kurt said reassuringly.

"Ash, Tina's scared. She has experienced how it was to feel something for someone and not have it reciprocated the same way. Her defense mechanism is acting up big time," Mercedes explained. "She loves Artie—_loves _him—but she's not sure if they're, like, on the same boat. Love and like? They're not at all the same things, right?"

* * *

Tina pushed back the driver's seat of her car so that she was lying on her back. She had stopped crying but the tears that flowed from her eyes earlier left marks on her face. There was peace inside her car; she was oblivious to the world outside, the view being only the clear skies.

She had just gotten off the phone with Kurt. He had promised that he'll do damage control; and for some reason, this comforted Tina.

A knock on her window made her stir. She turned to see who it was, but she didn't get up. There was no one there. Tina returned to her stare at the sky through the windshield. A few seconds later, there was another knock. She turned again; this time, a hand wrapped in a fingerless glove stuck to the window.

"Artie!" Tina exclaimed as she shot up. She was greeted by big blue eyes that were magnified even more by the thick huge glasses in front of them.

Artie gently pulled his hand away from the window as soon as Tina appeared. He smiled at her—a polite one: the kind that didn't reach his eyes. He then pulled back as she opened the car door and got out.

"W—what are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"Hoping to find you," he answered, also quietly.

Tina smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Artie."

He examined her face; his eyebrows furrowed at what he saw. "Have you been crying?" When Tina dipped her head without answering, he inquired further. "Was it Ashley? Did she do something to you?"

Tina shook her head. "No. Nothing. She left before we could talk."

Artie continued to study Tina, still skeptical. "What did she do? You don't have to—"

"She didn't do anything," Tina said, smiling now to put Artie at ease. "What else could she do? I've already done the worst damage here."

Artie's face relaxed. His anxiety was replaced with sadness. He shook his head. "Tina…"

"Don't. Don't you dare try to make me feel better." Tina maintained her smile but her tone was firm.

He sighed. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry, Artie," she said.

"Why?"

"I—"

"I mean, why can't you be with me? You said you want to, but you can't. Are you with someone else?" he clarified.

Tina sighed as she sat on the driver's seat, her feet planted on the concrete floor.

"Is it Mike?" Artie supplanted.

She looked up at him and coughed a laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

He bit his lower lip. "I probably should be since I'm feeling like a clown."

Tina wiped the smile off her face. "I'm sorry, Artie. I didn't mean—"

"Is it anyone I know?" he interrupted.

She shook her head. "There is no one else." Tina swallowed as she looked him in the eye. "It's always been you. Just you."

"But?"

"What am I to you, Artie? Why do you want to be with me?"

"I—I really like you, Tee. I care about you."

"If… If there had been someone who came along with whom you had something very important in common with, and she joined glee club or the jazz band, and she becomes one of us, would yesterday still have happened?"

Artie had a questioning look on his face. "What—? Tina…"

"Did Ashley tell you about what we talked about the other day?"

"She... Yes, but…"

Tina smiled and nodded. "Artie, you wouldn't have said that you wanted to be with me unless you were sure that I wanted to be with you too. That's why we can't be together."

"I don't understand…"

Tina sighed heavily, holding back her tears. "You only want me because I want you. That's not love, Artie. That's security. I know you care about me—I don't doubt it—but you're not in love with me. And, I just can't settle with that."

He was speechless. He stared at Tina's serene and reassuring face.

"I'm okay, Artie. I've already accepted that you don't love me like I love you even before I proved it to be true. Had a lot of time to think about it." She shrugged. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I just need to do this for me."

Artie clasped his hands tightly on his lap. He was trying to understand and sew together all that Tina had just said. It was all difficult to hear; but he figured that it must have been more difficult to say out loud.

"I will always be your friend," she said, breaking his thoughts. "I'll always be here for you… for anything. I hope…" Tina choked a little. This was getting harder and harder for her the more she spoke.

"…that nothing would change between us?" Artie supplied.

She smiled timidly. "You're my best friend, you know that?"

There was a pause between them, and then Artie smiled and nodded once. "So," he began. "How about giving your best friend a ride home?"

* * *

_**A/N: I know I missed the 3-4 day limit update… I'm so sorry. I just made a new blog (about glee of course) and I've been busy setting it up.**_

_**As for the story… don't hate! We got a long way to go and eventually Artie & Tina will end up together. It's the how that you'll have to look out for. :)**_

_**Much much love as always to**_ Proud Marry _**&**_ xx-cristieee-xx**_! And huge shoutouts to_** fanfiction999**_,_** Adannels **_&_** ThEe CrISPiNaTOr**_!_**

**_Come on, guys, a simple shout out will seriously make my day and I'd love you for it.  
_**

_**Next Chapter: Long Day**_


	24. Long Day

Chapter 24

Long Day

* * *

"Rachel?" a girl's voice calmly called.

"Rachel, are you okay?" the same voice asked.

Rachel turned to the open window of the passenger side. She saw the blond hair first, and then the concerned face of Quinn.

"Are you okay?" Quinn repeated.

"I—I'm fine." Rachel looked around and saw that she was parked at the sidewalk in front of a house that is not hers.

"What happened?"

"What?"

Quinn opened the door and got into the car. "I followed you from the 7-11 because you walked past me, dazed," she said as soon as she was seated. "Something happened to you. What was it?"

"Really, Quinn—"

"I'm not trying to get into your business. I'm just worried about you driving while you're unfocused. Maybe it would help if you could get whatever it is bothering you out of your system."

Rachel sat quietly, staring at Quinn, debating if she should tell the girl about what had happened with Puck. They do get along very well, but they don't really talk about each other's problems. If Quinn is being kind to her, Rachel knows it has something to do with being a part of one team—not because of deep friendship.

"I," Rachel began. "Okay. Hypothetically speaking, a friend unexpectedly lashes out at you for some weird reason that you don't know. What would you do?"

"Talk to that friend? Ask him or her about what's going on."

Rachel nodded. "Right. But what if he wouldn't even talk to you? It's almost like he's avoiding you. What then?"

"He?"

"Or she," Rachel immediately supplanted. "Either way."

Quinn eyed her, trying to figure her actuations out. "I guess… you should just give that person some space. That friend would eventually come around and tell you what's bothering him. Or her."

Rachel huffed. "I don't even know what I did! This is really unfair!"

Quinn watched the girl quietly. Rachel seemed really upset. And, whoever this friend was must be someone really special because this was not the usual Rachel in front of her.

* * *

Ashley was mostly silent while Kurt and Mercedes explained Tina's side of the story. She was also expressionless all through out their explanation. Prior to this discussion, Ashley was convinced that Tina was getting back at Artie for what he's done to the girl last year.

Soon enough, the three of them saw Tina's car coming closer to them. They noticed Artie sitting on the passenger seat. As soon as the car parked behind Kurt's SUV, Ashley excused herself from her two companions and entered the house. Tina could only watch the girl walk away as she got out of the car to get Artie's chair.

When Artie was already settled on his wheelchair, he told Tina that it was okay, pertaining to Ashley's demeanor. He reasoned that his cousin was just really tired because he was pretty sure that she didn't get a goodnight's sleep. Tina smiled, but everyone saw that she didn't believe him.

Artie went straight to Ashley's bedroom as soon as his three friends left. He caught her seated by the study table, her back to the door, speaking to someone on her cellphone and scribbling notes. He wheeled himself in, settled beside her bed and waited quietly for her to finish.

"Can't you just bring it over?" She asked over the receiver. There was a pause and then she concluded, "Great! Yes, noon. Thanks a lot." She hung up, scribbled something, stood up and turned around.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, clutching her chest. "Goddamnit! How long have you been there?"

"Not long."

Ashley relaxed. "You're talking now?" she asked flatly as she walked past him towards the bathroom.

"Uh, yeah," he said as he watched her partially close the bathroom door. "You're not mad at Tina, are you?"

There was a flushing sound, and then that of running water, before the door flew open and out came Ashley. "I was. But, she has really good lawyers so I'm not as much anymore." She walked past him again and sat on top of her study table, her feet dangling.

"You're mad at me?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not sure. You're buying what Tina said?"

He dipped his head. "I respect her decisions."

"You're an idiot."

He shot a look at Ashley; his face registered surprise.

She stared back at him blankly and continued. "So that's it? You're letting her go."

"I don't really have a choice here now, do I?"

Ashley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."

Artie's face scrunched up with irritation. "What would you have me do?"

She hopped off the table and placed her hands on her hips. "Tell your mom I'm not having dinner. It's been a long day and I really just want to sleep."

He paused, studying her face.

"See you in the morning," she said.

Artie nodded and steadily made his way out of her room. As soon as he was on the hallway, the door closed behind him.

* * *

"It's weird to see her like that," Quinn said as she handed a stack of plates to Puck. He took it and set them one by one on the table.

After the day's practice, Quinn invited Puck at Will's parents' house for the rest of the afternoon. Will's mom, Doodle, had suggested it because, according to the lady, it would be good for Summer to spend time with her father in the house where she lived in. Quinn didn't really argue with the woman.

"She wasn't crying was she?" he asked.

Quinn shook her head. "No. But she was really confused about something."

"Why didn't you just ask her who it was?" Puck asked as he took a pot of casserole from her and watched her disappear to the kitchen again.

"Please," Quinn huffed as she reappeared. "Rachel and I don't really discuss her personal problems. We're not friends like that. Besides, I don't think I can help her anyway."

Puck's phone sounded off, indicating that he had a new text message. "Who do you think was it though?" he asked as he looked at his phone. It was from Ashley. '_Favor. Can u pass by rental shop before school? Make sure they dont forget delivery of costumes by noon. Thx.'_ it said.

"I don't know. Must be Finn," she shrugged as she watched him typing his reply.

"Must be," he agreed as he pressed the 'send' button and then looked up at her.

"But, it's kind of odd that she wouldn't just say it outright that she's referring to Finn," she thought aloud.

Puck's phone sounded off again. He instantly checked it and replied to the message.

"It's not like the whole school doesn't know about them," Quinn continued.

There was a pause as Quinn watched Puck quietly and waited for him to turn his attention to their conversation.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked as soon as he hit the send button on his phone.

"Nothing," she said with a tight smile. She began to walk towards the living room.

"S—sorry, Quinn. That was Ash. She asked me to pass by the rental shop before—"

"It's okay," she said, interrupting him. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I don't want you to have to make up stories on my account."

"Quinn, I'm not lying. Here, look—"

"I don't care." She still had the smile on her face, but her tone was firm. Quinn immediately turned and exited to make sure that he didn't say anything more to her.

Puck could only watch as she left the room. He looked at the phone in his hand and shook his head. He had always been very patient with Quinn when she'd brush him off. But after what just happened, the usual patience he had for her didn't kick in.

He knew that Quinn thought he was sexting with someone, or something to that level. She still didn't trust him after all this time, he thought. No matter how hard he tried, she still saw him as a cheater and a liar. Puck was annoyed that she wouldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt; and he couldn't remember when the last time was when he had felt that antagonism towards Quinn.

* * *

**_A/N:_** VoiceInMyHead **_– So sorry, it's going to be a long wait… so so sorry! Puck's up next… :D Peace! Love yah!_**

Penulis **_– Thank you so much for taking the time to write a very detailed and honest review. I always love reading such straightforward comments!_ _:)_**

taterbug0491 – **_I just might… :D_**

**_Anyone else out there reading who haven't aired out their opinions? You know I'd love to hear it.  
_**

**_Next Chapter: Sick Cycle Carousel_**


	25. Sick Cycle Carousel

Chapter 25

Sick Cycle Carousel

* * *

"Great job, Artie," Quinn said while scribbling on a piece of paper. The two were in the student council office doing work for the glee club's fund-raising talent show.

"By the way," Artie said; "Kurt said his dad's offered to have the tarp done for the one we'll put up at the entrance on awards night. I sent the designs to the printers this morning."

"Perfect. Other posters? Signs all over town? What about those?"

"Ashley said she's got that. I'm pretty sure we're good with the local networks too. I also had the AV club set up a YouTube account. And, Rachel has sent the invitations last Friday to the other clubs."

Quinn exhaled. She smiled contently at Artie. "Everything's going smoothly, isn't it?"

He smiled back. "It sure is. We're going to Miami."

She nodded.

Artie's smile slowly faded as he thought about asking something from Quinn. There was hesitation on his face, which Quinn saw.

"What is it?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

"C—can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Something personal," he cleared.

"Oh."

"You know what, it's okay. Forget it. I was just—"

"Go ahead."

"Wha—"

Quinn smiled. "It's okay, Artie. I don't mind."

He bowed down, stared at his lap, and picked on his nails. "This is kind of embarrassing."

He looked up at Quinn and was greeted with a patient and friendly face. "I was just wondering about you and Puck."

"Oh."

"Yeah. You can still change your mind." He grinned.

She laughed her sweet little laugh. "No, I'm good. What's your question, Mr. Larry King?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Suspenders. Right."

She shrugged.

"Okay. So, I see Puck trying to be with you. We're not best friends or anything, but I see that—we all do. I have to give props to the guy, actually. He's changed a lot after Summer was born. I know he doesn't want people finding out about how he's a better guy and all, but all of us at glee can see that he is. So, what I wanted to ask you really is… why… you're not with him."

"Just for the record, I also see what you see. Puck has been trying to be a better guy. I'm actually so proud of him for that. But, it's… complicated."

"How so?"

"I…" Quinn didn't want to just tell Artie that she thinks Puck will always have someone on the side besides her. She has trust issues with Puck, and she didn't want to enter into a relationship with him because she was afraid that he would hurt her in the end. She just couldn't risk that. She needed to maintain her focus for her little girl.

"There are…" she began again. "There are some things that we both need to work on. At least for my part, I have issues that I have to deal with first."

"But you do want to be with him, right? You care about him and all that? You love him?"

"Yes, yes, and yes. I'm just not sure I love him in _that_ way, if you know what I mean. I love Puck because he's my friend and he's the father of my baby. But… it's complicated."

Artie pondered on this. In a way, it did make sense. "What if Puck stops trying to be with you? What if he just gives up?"

Quinn paused. To be honest, she's never thought about it. It may seem selfish and arrogant, but at the back of her mind, she always thought that Puck would always be there. "I guess," she began; "that's his choice. And, I would respect that. I would understand."

They were both silent for a moment before Quinn inquired, "Is this about Tina? Mercedes told me what happened."

Artie looked at her before dipping his head and nodding discreetly.

"I know what she's feeling; so I can understand why she did that," Quinn said in a calm tone. "We're not really different, me and her. I think we're going through the same thing."

"So then, you agree that I just respect her decision, right? Because Ashley doesn't seem to."

Quinn smiled. "Respecting her decision doesn't mean that you should stop entirely."

His brows met in between. "She said she doesn't want to be with me."

"Are you sure? Because I could've sworn Mercedes said that Tina's words were 'you guys _can't_ be together.'"

Artie opened his mouth to retort, but he immediately closed it and tilted his head.

"Artie," Quinn said, calling his attention.

He turned to look at her.

"Answer me honestly."

He nodded.

"Do you love Tina?"

"Of course," he whispered.

Quinn shook her head. "No, I mean, if there was someone else out there who would look past your chair and would want to be with you, would you still choose to be with Tina? Do you love Tina like that?"

* * *

Tina was at her locker when Ashley came and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," Ashley said.

Tina thought she can hear a hint of excitement in the girl's voice, but she wasn't sure. She was actually scared of what Ashley would do to her. After all, they hadn't spoken since yesterday afternoon in the parking lot and that didn't end well. Tina was even considering that maybe Ashley was going to abduct her or something. The girl's mother has connections in the White House, she thought; it's not far-fetched that Ashley's got access to the Secret Service or the FBI.

The bell for fourth period rang the moment they entered the girls' bathroom. Tina saw a black-colored long gown with streaks of gold, protected in a clear garment bag hanging on the wall; and right below it was a pair of gold high heels.

"It's your costume for this afternoon's dress rehearsals!" Ashley exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.

Tina was astounded, and it wasn't just the beautiful—and obviously expensive—dress that surprised her; Ashley was speaking to her in that usual happy vibe.

Without another word, Ashley took the dress and shoved it for Tina to put on. As soon as Tina was wearing the whole ensemble, Ashley stepped back to get a full view.

"I look ridiculous," Tina groaned.

"Are you insane? You look beautiful!" Ashley exclaimed.

"I just know that I'll trip in these shoes and die."

"Walk slowly," Ashley commented nonchalantly as she went to be beside the Asian girl. "And I mean that. You're not allowed to fall because that's Roberto Cavalli on you. And, I only wore that dress once." Ashley took Tina's long hair and twirled it up, checking the reflection in the mirror as she did so.

"This is your dress? I thought we had the costumes rented."

"The others' costumes are rented. You're singing lead. You should stand out. What about a side ponytail?"

Tina sighed.

"You're right," Ashley agreed. "Side ponies are kinda lame."

"No, I didn't mean the hair. It's okay. Whatever you think would look good, let's go with that."

"Okay, well you can take it off now. Go straight to the auditorium as soon as school's out. Kurt doesn't like being rushed when he's doing his thing."

Tina giggled and nodded. After changing back into her clothes and before they could leave the bathroom, she asked Ashley, "We're good, right? I mean, you and me. We're good?"

Ashley smiled reassuringly. "I'm not angry at you. It's not in my place. Besides, you were being honest; that's commendable."

Tina smiled before she exited the bathroom to get to whatever remaining time's left of her class.

* * *

As soon as Tina was gone, Ashley took the dress and the shoes and made her way to the auditorium. She was on the hallway, a few feet from the entrance, when she heard faint music coming from inside.

_If shame a had a face_

_I think it would kinda look like mine_

_If it had a home would it be my eyes_

_Would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this_

_Well here we go now one more time_

Ashley entered carefully, intrigued at who was singing. She clutched the dress closer to her when she saw Puck with a microphone stand in the middle of the stage and an acoustic guitar on hand. A dim spotlight focused on him, while the background was complemented with a mixture of blue, red and yellow halogen lights moving to the beat of the song. He had a drummer, a lead guitarist and a bassist backing him up.

'_Cause I tried to climb your steps_

_I tried to chase you down_

_I tried to see how low_

_I could get down to the ground_

_I tried to earn my way_

_I tried to tame this mind_

_You better believe that_

_I had tried to be this_

The rest of the auditorium was dark, and it was probably the reason why Puck didn't seem to notice Ashley walking down the aisle, getting closer towards the stage. She set the dress and shoes on one of the seats, and then herself next to the clothes. She watched Puck quietly.

_So when will this end_

_It goes on and on_

_Over and over and over again_

_Keeps spinning around_

_I know that it won't stop_

'_Til I step down from this…_

_Sick cycle carousel_

_This is a sick cycle, yeah_

_Sick cycle carousel_

_This is a sick cycle, yeah, aahh_

It was the first time Ashley had heard him sing by himself in this way. She thought it looked very befitting, the whole setup he had on stage. Puck was looking a lot like a rock star. And, more importantly, she could sense the genuineness of the performance. She believed it. She believed that he truly felt what he was singing.

_So when will this end_

_It goes on and on_

_Over and over and over again_

_Keeps spinning around_

_I know that it won't stop_

'_Til I step down from this for good_

_(Sick cycle carousel, Sick cycle carousel)_

_From this for good_

_(Sick cycle carousel, Sick cycle carousel)_

_From this for good_

_Sick cycle carousel_

The lights died down into darkness. Ashley clapped enthusiastically as she made a standing ovation. The house lights turned up, and Puck immediately turned to his one-person audience—a startled expression painted on his face.

"That was way awesome!" Ashley exclaimed. She whistled through her fingers.

Puck laughed. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. Ashley was already on her way up the stage.

"Look who's talking," she said as she got closer. "And how'd you get the band here?" She turned to the members of the jazz band before he could answer and asked them to give Puck and her a minute. As they left, she asked, "Is that Ben up there?"

"No, that's Jack."

"Oh man, he's really good. The lights were awesome. You're a genius, Jack!"

Jack's appreciation sounded off in the entire theater as he spoke through the microphone in the control room. He then excused himself from Puck saying that he was getting something to eat with the band.

"Don't they have classes right now?"

"Eh," he shrugged.

"Oh, you're just bad, aren't you?" she teased.

He smirked. "What about you? I'm pretty sure this is not a free hour for you."

"I thought that they might deliver the costumes earlier. Just making sure someone was here to receive them."

Puck took the guitar strap from his body and placed it with the other instruments. As he did so, Ashley said, "You were a rock star up here!"

He coughed a laugh and thanked her. He signaled for them to get off the stage and sit on the chairs in the audience. "You should do that on the talent show," she suggested as she followed behind him.

"I don't think so," he said as he sat on one of the seats.

"Why not?" Ashley knelt on the seat in front of Puck, her arm resting on its back rest. "I think you'll get a lot of votes for that."

He merely smiled and shook his head.

Ashley's excitement melted away as she sensed something was amiss. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Puck sighed. _Boy, am I that obvious now? The only other person who ever noticed out right that something's wrong with me was Rachel, now Ashley too?_ _This sucks. I must be losing it._

"You wanna let me in on the conversation happening in your head?"

He looked up at her. She was smiling; and patiently awaiting his response.

"It's about Quinn, isn't it?" she guessed.

"Why would you think that?"

"I saw you perform. I listened to the words of your song. I felt like the whole thing had hit home for you."

"Guess I don't really have much to tell you then."

She pressed her lips and nodded.

Puck looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. I know you wanna say something."

"There's this saying that goes something like, 'we stare way too intently for one door to open that we miss many others that already have'. Corollary to that, I think you look at Quinn way too much that you don't notice other girls looking at you."

Puck shook his head. "They don't like me in the way you think. I'm not Finn. I'm not the kind of guy you'd be proud to introduce to your parents."

"I can't believe you're selling yourself this short! Tch! There _is_ someone out there looking at you the way you're looking at Quinn. Hell, you probably see that girl everyday and you don't even know it's her."

He stared at her, considering what she said; and then shrugged.

She sighed as she slumped down her seat.

* * *

_**A/N: I know y'all hate me now. I'm sorry. Haven't had much inspiration to write. :(**_

EmoGleek _**- I have to be honest, too. I love your candidness! I literally laughed reading your comment about Ashley. I mean, not 'cause your comment was funny, but because I'm actually happy to get such an emotional reaction. I love it! And, I love you for it! Seriously, I'm almost scared for Ashley now—it's a good thing she's not real. :D**_

hammerathogwarts **_– Thank you for such an amazing insight on my story! I know I say this a lot (shout out to the others who've read my comment replies), but I really appreciate criticisms about Ashley. It helps me make her better. And I appreciate that you tell me also how you like the storyline. It makes me want to keep on writing. :)_**

_**Much love to **_Lady Isabelle Black_**,**_ VoiceInMyHead_**, & as always,**_ xx-cristieee-xx_**!**_

_**Next Chapter: How To Touch A Girl**_


	26. How To Touch A Girl

Chapter 26

How To Touch A Girl

* * *

Will entered the auditorium from the first floor hall entrance and was greeted by Artie. They discussed matters regarding the talent show until Ashley finally came and joined them in the audience seats.

"Are we ready?" Will asked the girl.

"Almost," she answered with a smile.

"Great! Well, I'll take my place at the table."

The cousins nodded as they watched the teacher walk to the center where a table had been placed. They saw him begin writing notes on the sheet music he was holding.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked, sitting on the aisle seat that Artie settled next to.

"Yeah."

"She asked me why you weren't backstage."

"I wanted to watch the show from down here."

"That's what I thought. I think she was kinda hoping you would greet her good luck or something."

Artie turned to Ashley and smiled. "I don't doubt that she'll be amazing."

It was then that the house lights went out, leaving only the low lights on stage to illuminate the whole auditorium. They saw the band take its position; followed by Tina who slowly walked to the middle of the stage, stopping in front of a vintage microphone stand. The music began to play and Tina parted her lips to sing.

_I think I could like you, I already do_

_Feelings can grow, but they can go away too_

The rest of glee club came out from the sides of the stage in pairs, with the boys holding up one hand of their female counterparts up in the air. The guys sported tuxedos while the girls wore long dresses that swayed as they moved.

_You're taking my hand, looking into my eyes_

_Don't be in a rush to get me tonight_

They danced as couples would in cotillions. They looked into their partner's eyes and had a smile on their faces. From the audience, it looked easy and casual. It showed the kind of bond that had formed amongst them.

_I feel something happening, could this be a spark_

_To satisfy me baby, got to satisfy my heart_

Tina held the mic with both hands and closed her eyes. Ashley, as discreetly as she could, snuck a peek at Artie; he was attentive, but she couldn't make out what his thoughts were.

_Do you know how to touch a girl?_

_If you want me so much, first I have to know_

Slowly, Tina's eyes fluttered open. Ashley suddenly felt like the whole thing turned different—better. It's like she's hearing Tina sing this song for the first time. There was an emotion behind it that wasn't there before.

_Are you thoughtful and kind?_

_Do you care what's on my mind?_

_Or am I just for show?_

_You'll go far in this world_

_If you know how to touch a girl_

Artie watched Tina quietly, and unmoving, except maybe that his hands clasped tighter and tighter the longer the song held on. His conversation with Quinn earlier flashed back to him as the girls on stage sung as a chorus.

_Do you know how to touch,_

_Know how to touch a girl_

He couldn't answer Quinn's question right away. Somehow, it felt like he had to be very careful. It was weird because, of course, he knew what to answer. Of course, he did! But suddenly he felt like he had to think a hundred times before he should say it out loud. That was weird.

_Bring me some flowers, conversation for hours_

_To see if we really connect_

_And maybe if we do, ooh_

_I'll be giving all my love for you_

As soon as Tina flawlessly concluded that high note at the end of the song's bridge, she let go of herself and sang freely—losing the shy onstage Tina that everyone had been accustomed to. A few heads from the ensemble behind her turned to look. They were surprised to see her creating hand gestures and body movements that screamed showstopper. Even Will was amazed at how comfortable Tina was expressing herself, even though she surely knew that everyone's eyes were on her.

_You'll go far in this world_

_If you know how to touch… a girl_

The lights dimmed again as soon as the music faded. Everyone on stage froze to await Will's comment.

Will leaned into the mic and said, "That was very beautiful, Tina."

Tina smiled shyly, only nodding once as a sign of gratitude for the compliment.

"So, guys, you know the drill. From the top."

* * *

Tina zipped up the garment bag carefully, making sure the dress doesn't get caught on the zipper. She, then, carefully lifted it off the table and cradled it on her arms as she turned to get onto the stage, walked across the audience area and out into the halls of the school. She was on her way to the student council office, where Ashley had told her to meet up, to return the dress, when she heard Artie call her name. She stopped and turned to him.

"Oh, hey, Artie!" Tina exclaimed, beaming at the sight of him. "I was on my way to give this back to Ash."

He looked at the dress, smiled and nodded. "Here, let me take care of that," he offered as he signaled for her to hand over the garment bag to him.

Tina carefully set the dress on Artie's lap. "Thanks." She stepped back and paused for a moment before she asked, "How'd I do?"

He smiled at her. "Of course, you totally rocked it! And, no, I'm not just saying that. You were great, Tee."

Tina liked hearing him call her _Tee_ in that endearing way again. It seemed like it's been a long time, even though it was only last Friday when he did it. It had been a very, very long weekend, indeed.

She grinned, and curtsied, as she said, "Thank you." Immediately thereafter, Tina walked to the back of Artie's chair and started to push it forward. "Let's go to the council office."

Before they could turn to the corner, Artie broke the silence. "Tina?"

"Yeah, Artie?"

"I—" He stopped. Suddenly, he wasn't sure what to say.

"What is it?" Tina stopped pushing the chair and went to face him. "What's wrong?" She sat in front of him and was now looking up at his eyes.

It only took a moment for Artie to realize that, yeah, he should say it out loud! He should say it without reservations or worry. He should say it because it was true and she needed to know.

A smile formed on his face before he spoke.

* * *

"What? No!"

"Rachel—"

"That's not fair, Mr. Schue!"

"We'll just try it and see how it works out."

"No!"

Will straightened his back and folded his arms. He exhaled and spoke in an authoritative manner, "It's non-negotiable."

"But—"

"That's enough, Rachel. Ashley and Finn will work on _As Long As You're Mine_ and perform it at the end of the week."

"You already gave that to _me_ and Finn," Rachel reasoned desperately.

"And I'm not taking it away from you," Will said. "I just want Ashley to try it."

Rachel pouted and breathed heavily, not saying a word.

"It's one song, Rachel." Will spoke softer now; he saw that she was extremely upset at the news—more upset than he'd ever seen her be.

Rachel pressed her lips tight and made a quick nod, keeping her eyes on the floor of the empty choir room.

"I know what's going on here."

Rachel looked up at him; her eyes were questioning.

"You're worried about Ashley taking over, aren't you?"

She didn't answer; instead, she huffed and looked at the piano behind her teacher.

Will smiled and turned to sit at the stool next to the piano. He looked at her with apparent amusement. "That's not like you, Rachel. It's not like you to doubt your own talents."

She didn't react.

Will sighed. "You've done great things for this club, Rach. You _are_ captain. I don't see any shifting of roles happening in New Directions until you graduate, or decide to leave glee."

She turned to look at him. Her face relaxed now; the frown no longer dominated her features.

Will continued. "I remember once upon a time when you were so bent on wanting to be special. You told me that being a part of something special makes you special. You know what I realized about that? I realized that this group, this club, wouldn't have been special were it not for you.

"There were plenty of times when everyone wanted to give up, but you didn't. And you made sure that the others didn't as well. That's dedication that even _I_ can't compare to. Look, I know you think that I don't support you, but you're wrong. I have to admit that Ashley is very good and it's great to have her on board, but I have never thought that she would be the one to take your place."

Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Schuester."

Will returned the smile and stood to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Rachel nodded as she watched the teacher walk out of the room. As soon as Will was gone, she walked to the piano, rested her arms on top of it and dropped her forehead on the cool surface.

_It was great to hear Mr. Schue say all those things. We've had our ups and downs as student and mentor but I genuinely think he's rooting for me, and for Finn. At least, I know it's one less thing to worry about—losing glee. But, Finn singing with Ashley…_

She sighed loudly.

_ I saw that look he gave her during rehearsals when they were dancing; especially when she smiled at him. He was smitten._

Rachel lifted her head and pushed herself up and away from the piano, but she steadily held the edges. Her face was painted with a mixture of realization, suspicion and worry.

_ Could she…? I mean, she can't be…? She wouldn't…!_

* * *

Puck was on his way to the field from Coach Tanaka's office, as he was ordered to retrieve the playbook, when he saw Ashley carefully going down the steps of the main entrance of the school, cradling a garment bag on her arms. He sprinted towards her and immediately took the bulky, albeit light, bag from her.

"Oh. Thank you, Puck," she said, releasing her hold from the baggage and stepping away to a comfortable distance from him.

"No problem. What the hell is this anyway? I thought the costumes will be picked up by the shop."

"They already have been. This is my dress; I let Tina borrow it." Ashley led Puck to her car, where he carefully laid the bag across the backseat.

She thanked him as she pressed the lock button on the car's remote control. "Listen," she added. "I heard Coach Tanaka will be on some kind of a coaching seminar on Wednesday."

"Yeah…"

"So, there's no practice, right?"

"Unless Finn declares otherwise. But I seriously doubt it."

"Awesome! Meet me on the bleachers, in front of the spot on the field where the Cheerios practice, after glee rehearsals, okay?"

"What—"

"Just be there. I promise it won't take long. Thirty minutes tops."

Puck eyed her with an arched eyebrow and a doubting smirk.

"Come on," Ashley said, trying to convince him. "It'll be worth your time."

He rolled his eyes and agreed, "Fine."

Ashley grinned at him. He smiled as he turned to look ahead; it was then that the smile dissolved. Ashley saw this and turned to where he looked. There was Rachel in front of the main entrance, on top of the steps.

"I have to head to the field. Coach is probably wondering where I'd wandered off to." He didn't wait for Ashley to answer. He already turned and walked away; making sure not to cross Rachel's path.

Rachel followed him with her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth pouted. She wasn't annoyed; she was sad.

"Hey, Rach," Ashley greeted as she came nearer to the steps.

As soon as she heard this, Rachel shifted her attention to the girl in front of her. Her expression was stern.

* * *

_**A/N: Your reviews really make me happy! And I know I've been so terrible at updating, and you're still here. I love you guys! Also, I know I'm so off the story now since the creators had their own take on Quinn and the baby… so yeah. I'm not changing anything though; just added a disclaimer in the beginning (w/c is still not showing).**_

_**Songs: How To Touch A Girl is a song by Jojo. As Long as You're Mine is from the super awesome musical Wicked.  
**_

Proud Marry **_- I miss reading your reviews! Thanks so much, sweetie!_**

waytohappiness _**- Thank you! I'd like to give you a hug. Really. Much, much love!**_

Kkaty _**- Well, you're not really meant to like her. Not a lot of readers like her, so it's okay with me, either way. :)**_

MissMattSmith _**- I miss your reviews, it's been a while! I don't mind how it sounded, I love that you took the time. I just can't make a sudden turnaround of Ashley's character, I'm sorry to hear that she annoys you. Well, you're not alone there. :D But hopefully somehow, through the course of this story, you'll find her real enough. That's all I want her to be: seemingly real.**_

HanaDear _**- Awww, thanks! You're awesome, you know? :)**_

melly326 _**- They will :)**_

EmoGleek _**- Finchel FTW! I love them too! I appreciate you saying that.**_

_**So much love to**_ rocker punk**_,_** reita189 **_& to the always lovely_** xx-cristieee-xx**_!_**

_**Next Chapter: Unprecedented**_


	27. Unprecedented

Chapter 27

Unprecedented

* * *

"I don't understand how she could get upset at me for telling her that I love her!" Artie grunted.

"Look, you caught her in a sneak attack. Maybe she was just surprised," Quinn reasoned.

Artie had told Tina that he loved her. He told her in that hallway before they could get back to Ashley and Quinn in the student council office yesterday afternoon. He expected her to fly into his arms and kiss him. She didn't.

Instead, she pushed herself up from the crouching position she was at, stepped back, and sighed. Tina crossed her arms and said, "I don't know why you'd do that. It's not even funny. That's just demeaning."

Artie was too surprised at her reaction that he was literally dumb-founded and didn't get to defend himself. This gave Tina the chance to continue and say, "Can we please drop the I-love-you jokes from now on? I know I said I'm fine with you not being in love with me and all, but don't rub it in my face. Don't be a jerk, Artie."

Quinn walked to the file cabinet and replaced file folders as she commented, "And then you said sorry? Really, Artie, are you some kind of idiot?"

"I—I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting her to say that… of all things!"

"But why would you apologize? You do know that you just admitted that you were making a joke, right?" Quinn went to the chair nearest Artie and sat there.

He sighed. "I know. God! What the hell is wrong with me? Well, I mean, except for the legs."

She giggled and reached out to rub his arm to comfort him. "It's okay, Artie. It's not like you did something irreparable."

He rolled his eyes. "I really hope not."

Quinn smiled and leaned against the chair's back. "So what did Ashley say about that?"

"I didn't tell her."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I thought you guys don't keep secrets from each other?"

Artie's brows met in between. "Where does everyone get that from? Well, if you must know, Ashley and I are entitled to our own secrets. I'm pretty sure she's hiding stuff from me too. It's not like we're connected at the hip."

Quinn nodded, still smiling teasingly.

"And besides," Artie continued; "I figured her reaction could only be either of two ways: A, she gets mad at Tina for turning me down for the second time, or B, she gets mad at me for apologizing and admitting that it was a joke. I'm not liking any of those scenarios, so I went with C, not saying anything to her."

Before Quinn could respond, Artie cut her off. "That means you can't say anything to anyone. Especially Ash."

Quinn smiled reassuringly and tilted her head. "Of course, Artie."

Artie chewed on his inner cheek. There is nothing normal about this scene, he thought. Him talking to Quinn about Tina? Him telling her not to tell Ashley anything? Her being all attentive and interested? Quinn had made a huge transformation when she joined glee, and improved extensively with her people skills when she had Summer. Still, Artie never imagined that there would come a time when they would be friends this way.

"Listen, we'll find a way to convince Tina that you're telling the truth. We'll do our own little project," Quinn said excitedly. "What do you say?"

Artie smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Quinn."

She smiled back. "It's almost first period. Let's talk later."

Quinn watched as Artie wheeled out of the office. She was pleasantly amazed that she's forming some kind of a bond with the guy. She had always been uncomfortable around Artie, just because she wasn't sure how the right way is to act around a boy in a wheelchair. It's different when they're in glee; there are a lot of them there. When it's just the two of them, she felt weird.

Somehow, this whole talent show gig was a doorway to getting to know Artie better. And, she was glad for it.

* * *

A chill ran through Ashley's spine as she pulled a book from her locker. She paused to pay attention to her surroundings without tearing her gaze from the mirror she had installed on her locker's inner wall. People chattered behind her as they walked by. The sound of metal against metal was heard distantly as locker after locker banged shut. She heard a familiar squeak of rubber against the tiled floors… and it was getting closer.

"A."

Ashley turned cautiously to her left and instantly saw a tall figure wrapped in a green tracksuit. "Ms. Sylvester?"

"I'm glad I caught up with you."

"Really?" Ashley was genuinely surprised that Sue would even look at her, let alone talk to her. She was sure that quitting the Cheerios had automatically put her in Sue's Dead-To-Me List, if the coach ever had one (which Ashley was certain was tucked away in Sue's side drawer, probably inside her journal).

Sue flashed the red head a smile. It was as friendly as the woman could manage. "I wanted your help on something," she said.

Ashley felt her eyes widen, but she immediately switched to her poker face. If Sue noticed the girl's gesture, she didn't let it show.

"I…" Ashley began. "Uh… I'm sorry, Ms. Sylvester, I have to be honest. This is rather unprecedented. _You_ want my help?"

"Eh… I know you think I hate you. I don't. I was hoping you'd show up to rehearsals the next day after our little spat, but I guess you've got pride as big as that walking giant who sings so-so and dances like a drunkard."

"Finn?"

Sue looked at her with a questioning expression.

"You don't care. Right." Ashley nodded.

"But you know very well that I have pride too," Sue proceeded.

"And yet, you're here, asking me for help," Ashley pointed.

"You're very observant. I want the Cheerios in the talent show."

"What? But that means you're actually helping glee club."

"Not as much as I'm helping myself. I heard you have _all_ the local networks covering this event, is this correct?"

Ashley finally relaxed and understood what was happening. Of course, Sue wanted in. It'll be great publicity for the Cheerios. "And footages from the awards night will be shown in Good Morning America and the Today Show. My mom assured me that," Ashley added.

"My Cheerios will surely get plenty of votes for your little fund-raising activity and my girls will not be put in hiatus while we wait for our next competition. It's a win-win."

Ashley shook her head. "You don't really need my help, Ms. Sylvester. All you have to do is submit a video of the Cheerios dancing so the guys in the AV club could upload it on the show's official YouTube. You'll automatically be part of the contest."

"I know that. I've read the flyer. My concern is about the Cheerios' entry in this contest. I don't want them to just dance. I want them to dance _and_ to sing. That's why I'm inviting you back in the Cheerios."

Ashley's jaw dropped.

Sue nodded. "Occasionally, I do things that surprise people. I'm very spontaneous that way. Just to be clear, I could do well without you. But, you did good during the time you were in the Cheerios. You're not indispensable, but you are a very good addition to my world-class cheering team. This is very humbling for me, Abrams, what do you say?"

"Uh… I'm… not sure."

"I'll reinstate you to captain—"

"No," Ashley objected. "I mean, I don't want to be captain. I want Santana to remain as captain." Ashley sighed. "Ms. Sylvester, I'm really quite flattered. It's just…"

"I won't make you quit glee. You can do both and I won't mind."

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed as she pondered on the offer. And just as quickly as she had decided to leave the Cheerios before, she agreed to return.

* * *

The glee kids were all singing in an impromptu jamming session, to the tune of Jason Mraz's Wordplay, while they waited in the choir room for their already-tardy teacher to arrive and begin rehearsals.

Will walked slowly and reflectively on his way to meet his students at glee. The latest news he attained made him lose his focus. He entered the room without interrupting the kids from their singing. He didn't even notice them. But, they noticed him.

"Mr. Schue?" Quinn asked.

He turned to them. "Hey, guys," he greeted, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"Uh," he stalled. He realized that none of the kids noticed that they were missing one member. He scanned each of their faces, landing on Artie's last, before he ultimately sighed. "We're back to 18 members."

Everyone's faces twisted in confusion as they turned to look at each other, searching probably for the absent face.

"Ashley," Kurt announced. Everyone turned to Artie.

"S—she didn't say anything about quitting glee," Artie said.

"What happened, Mr. Schue?" Puck asked.

"She caught me outside my office and…" Will began to tell the story of how Ashley told him that she was quitting glee.

But, to one girl, the teacher's voice got farther and farther away as she drifted off into yesterday's events. It flashed back to her. What happened yesterday after rehearsals, flashed back to Rachel.

Ashley had greeted her by the main entrance of the school. Rachel remembered the instant shift of her mood from sadness to irritation.

"How could you do that?" Rachel asked, not leaving the top step, therefore literally looking down on Ashley.

"Which one are you referring to?" Ashley asked back.

Rachel placed her hands on her hips. "You took my duet with Finn."

"I—didn't. Mr. Schue—"

"But you knew! You knew that Finn and I are already singing that song!"

Ashley stepped carefully towards Rachel, cautious not to upset the girl even more than she already was. "Rach, I'm not—"

"You think you're better than me because you're popular? Y-you're prettier? Maybe? That's subject to debate."

"Okay, Rach, seriously—"

"You can't just come here and take whatever you want _that_ easily! It's doesn't work like that. People spend time and effort trying to be somebody in this school. You can't just show up one day and _be_ popular; and, get to be captain of the Cheerios; and, take control over glee club; and, steal my boyfriend!"

Ashley's jaw hung open as her eyebrows furrowed. "Ex—_cuse_ me?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed, bending over a little as she hissed, "I am on to you, Abrams. You think that just because you're… like that, that you could steal Finn away from me? You are sadly mistaken! Finn _loves_ me."

Ashley stared back at Rachel for a couple of seconds to gather her own thoughts so she could retort to the accusations thrown at her. Then, she blinked; and, took a deep breath as she crossed her arms in front of her. In the most collected tone she could manage, Ashley said, "Are you sure?"

Rachel was caught off-guard by this and it showed from the way she reacted to the three words. It was all Ashley needed to regain her momentarily repressed confidence. A bitchy smirk materialized on her lips.

"I _could_ get Finn if I wanted him. Look at me. And then, look at you. Seriously, is there any competition at all?"

Slowly, Rachel's hands slid off her hips. A lump caught in her throat at the same time her knees began to weaken.

"I don't care for Finn, Rachel. I never did. I don't know how in the world you got the idea that I _ever_ had any interest in your man. Now, if you hate me being in glee _so much_ that you created some kind of delusion about Finn and I, then I'm going to put you out of your ridiculous misery. Goodbye, Rachel."

With that, Ashley simply turned and walked away. Rachel had begun to ask what she meant about that, but Ashley was already lost in the corner of the building.

"Hey," Finn said, placing his hand on her thigh.

Rachel turned to look at him.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked.

Rachel made a quick scan of the room. Everyone was already in groups; apparently, Will had already given the week's assignment. She returned to Finn and smiled at him. "I—I'm fine."

* * *

**_A/N: Don't say it. I know I'm horrible for keeping y'all hanging like this. But I just need me a muse or something 'cause I think inspiration is trying to avoid me. Ugh. Fail._**

MissMattSmith _**– Thank you, Ellie! I really appreciate all of that. And, I'm glad you approve of the song. I was seriously picturing the performance in my head.**_

EmoGleek _**– Yes! I love that "moment"! I'm thinking, of course, that you're referring to the one behind the curtain before "Faithfully". I have no defenses for Ashley. :D I'm just glad you're here, reading.**_

CertifiedGleek _**– Thanks sooo very much! I'm so sorry I suck at updating. Also, as you already have read, no Finchel here. I have them reserved towards the end. The next ones will be more Quick than any other ships. I hope you stay on though. Much love!**_

VoiceInMyHead _**– Of course, dear! But, no Finchel here. Sorry, it's gonna be some wait 'til we get there. Love that you're still reading though! :)**_

xx-cristieee-xx – **_I don't know exactly how many chapters this'll be, but I'm thinking it will reach Chapter 50 tops. Yeah, I know, it's crazy. As to Ashley's character, there's just no way I could completely turn her around. But, she'll show other sides of her that I didn't have a chance to show in the past chapters. Whether they're good or bad will depend on how you, the readers, see it. :) Much love!_**

To All Readers**_ – How's about a nice "hello"? :)_**

**_Next Chapter: Back With The Cheerios_**


	28. Back With The Cheerios

Chapter 28

Back With The Cheerios

* * *

As soon as Will dismissed the club, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Artie huddled to discuss about Ashley's departure; Quinn updated Will about the talent show; Santana and Brittany hurriedly left for Cheerios practice; Puck and the other varsity guys left for baseball practice; and all the others left to do their own businesses.

"Guys," Will said as he walked to where Artie's group were at, Quinn walking right behind him.

"Mr. Schue," Artie began; "I don't know what's going on. I—I'll talk to her."

"We'll all… talk to her," Mercedes interjected.

Will nodded thoughtfully. "I just didn't expect for her to leave so suddenly. I mean, you guys are all friends, right?"

"Of course, Mr. Schue," Tina answered.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Will placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder and addressed the small group. "Well, she did say it had nothing to do with you guys. She had nothing but praises for the team—that's why it's so confusing to me. But whatever her reasons are, let's try and respect that."

The teacher gave his final nod and left the choir room.

"We can't just respect that," Kurt said.

"Definitely not," Quinn backed.

"I'll talk to her," Artie said.

"Shouldn't we all talk to her?" Tina suggested.

Mercedes shook her head. "We might scare her off."

"Just let me talk to her. I'll find out what's going on."

They all looked at Artie and nodded.

Outside the choir room door, Rachel leaned against the wall, quiet and unmoving as a statue, listening in on the meeting going on inside. As soon as Artie had concluded his statement, she walked away just as quietly as she stood.

_This is what she meant_, Rachel thought to herself. _She's leaving glee because of me._ She shook her head. _No. I—I didn't want her to leave. I mean, she's not my favorite person in the world, but she's good. We could use her talent. I'm probably the last person to admit it, but I'll admit it nonetheless—our How To Touch A Girl number was perfect._

Rachel may be brash and tactless and domineering and bratty, but she would never push anyone out of glee club. Glee club was sanctuary—for anybody. That's what makes it so special. One of the new members, a female freshman, could barely sing but she auditioned—an excruciating experience to her audience—and she got in. Rachel personally gave that girl voice lessons; and in a month the tone-deaf freshman was singing like she's been a member of glee club since its rebirth.

_I didn't want her to quit. No! I won't let her quit._

Just then, Ashley emerges from the corner ahead, and walked towards the exit. Instinctively, Rachel called out her name. Ashley turned and paused, the smile she had on melted away as Rachel hesitantly waved at her. Ashley, straight-faced, nodded once and continued on her way out the school building.

"A—Ashley, w—wait," Rachel called as she began to sprint towards the girl.

A cool breeze blew as Rachel caught up with Ashley at the parking lot.

"You can't quit," Rachel blurted in between her breathing.

"I can do whatever I want."

"Don't quit. All your friends are in glee, you can't just leave. I—I'm sorry about yesterday. I was just upset and immature. Come on, Ash. I don't want you to quit—"

"Okay," Ashley interrupted. "You have to stop. I didn't leave because of you. Get over yourself."

"T—then why…" Rachel trailed off as soon as she saw what Ashley was clutching against her chest: red and white fabric. She looked up at the redhead's face, shocked. "Cheerios? You're _still_ with the Cheerios?"

"I'm _back_ with the Cheerios," Ashley clarified.

"B—but…"

"Coach Sylvester asked me to come back. And, I said yes. It's just the right order of things. I'm a Cheerio, Rachel. I'm no Gleek."

There was momentary silence. "You can be both, Ash," Rachel said quietly. "There's no rule saying that you can't. You can be whatever you want."

Ashley smirked. "Of course, there's a rule. It's not written, and only people with balls would say it out loud, but it's there. It exists, and you feel it everyday. You experience it everyday, don't you?"

Rachel half shook her head—half, because she immediately realized that Ashley was right. She didn't say anything until they got to Ashley's car. The redhead proceeded to put the uniforms in the car while Rachel mutely watched.

"Why are you here?" Ashley asked. "Shouldn't you be happy that nobody's gonna steal your thunder anymore?" Ashley nodded in response to Rachel's silent surprise. "Yeah, I know. Well, I didn't actually know, but I could feel it. You didn't really like me very much, did you?"

"It's not…"

"You don't have to lie. I don't care. I don't care if you like me or not because the people I love like me enough."

"Y—you're really ni—"

"I have to go back to the field. To be with _my_ team."

Rachel looked at Ashley for a second, nodded weakly, and turned to walk away. She wasn't sure what she felt—she was sad and a little relieved at the same time. It was all so weird.

* * *

Ashley didn't join the Cheerios in the day's practice. Instead, Sue made her watch in the bleachers until the hour ended. When Sue left, Santana immediately walked over to Ashley, with Brittany not far behind.

"What the hell happened?" Santana asked. "Why'd you quit glee?"

"I'm coming back to the Cheerios," Ashley said nonchalantly as she walked slowly beside the two girls.

"So? Why'd you quit glee?" Santana asked again, her usual scowl fixed on her face.

Ashley shrugged.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"I think it's a pronoun. Or a noun. I'm pretty sure it's a word, 'cause people use it in sentences."

Ashley and Santana turned to Brittany with questioning looks. The blonde girl realized this and said, "What are we talking about?"

Santana shook her head and returned to Ashley. "Did Coach Sylvester bribe or threaten or blackmailed you to make you leave glee club?"

"No. She didn't make me quit glee, okay? No one forced me to do what I did. It's my own decision."

Santana crossed her arms, still looking like she's annoyed.

Ashley continued. "Listen, Sue wants the Cheerios to have an entry in the talent show. She wants us to sing and to dance."

"Wait," Santana interjected. There was excitement in her voice. "Like what we did in the field a couple of weeks ago?"

Ashley grinned. "Even better. She wants it to be, like, some kind of girl group, or something."

"Like the Pussycat Dolls?" Brittany asked. Apparently, she was listening; and she was excited too.

"Exactly!" Ashley exclaimed. "Sue told me to get two more girls to join the three of us."

"Jane and Reyna," Santana quickly manifested. "They're the best singers in the Cheerios after the three of us. They're easy to instruct. And, they're slutty whores."

Ashley coughed a laugh. "And why is that important?"

Santana eyed the redhead with disbelief. "It's easier to get a bigger fan base when your girl group is whore-ish. And those two couldn't be more whore-ish if they tried. I'm surprised you didn't know this!"

"I knew that!" Ashley said defensively. "I just lost touch with anything sexy since I joined glee club."

Santana shook her head and raised her index finger. "That's your own fault. I told you not quit the Cheerios. It's a scientific fact that if your only extra-curricular activity is/are Math Club, Chess Club, Role Players Society, Scientists of Tomorrow, The Feng Shui Organization, and/or Glee Club, then you risk staying a virgin or, in your case, being _re-virginized_."

As it was previously stated, Ashley _is_ a virgin. However, from the moment she stepped on the grounds of McKinley High, there was not a single soul in the school that doubted her sexual expertise. And, indeed Ashley was an expert—expert at faking it. Truth is, it wasn't all that difficult to pull off.

Being a cheerleader was a good head start. Associating herself closely with Santana and Brittany was a huge help. But most of all, what brought it home was all these Senior guys making up stories about getting it on with her. Ashley disputed some of these rumors, but her response to the others was in ways that would afford different interpretations. So, without having to either actually have sex or lie flat-out, she was able to secure a reputation.

"Look, whatever," Ashley said. "I'm out of glee. I'm back in the Cheerios. That's that."

There was momentary silence as the three neared the parking lot. It was Santana who broke it.

"So, should we discuss the recent routine now or should we do it tomorrow? You know how Sue bitches when you don't tell her what she wants to hear during pre-practice."

Ashley shook her head. "You're still captain, Santana."

"But…"

"I'm focusing on the girl group. Sue specifically assigned me to that."

Santana smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said softly.

"Okay," Ashley affirmed.

"Okay!" Brittany exclaimed.

* * *

The redhead in the vintage DKNY spring dress parted from the two cheerleaders as soon as they got to the parking lot. From afar, Ashley could make out Artie next to her car. She took a deep breath as she inched slowly towards her cousin.

"Hey," Ashley said as she opened the passenger door.

Artie didn't say anything. He pushed himself off his wheelchair and onto the seat. Ashley quietly folded his chair and tucked it at the car's trunk. The silence lingered until Ashley pulled out of the spot where the car was parked.

"Go," Artie said.

Ashley sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about starting with why you quit?"

"It's a personal choice that I'm entitled to make as a free individual."

"What led to the choice?"

Ashley swallowed the lump that caught in her throat. "I just… I just don't want to create… problems… in the group."

Artie's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, do you mind?"

"Yes, I mind. Expound."

Ashley groaned. "Look, having me in glee club will necessarily create a rift among the members. I really don't want that to happen."

"It's Rachel, isn't it?"

"What? No!"

"We can handle Rachel, you don't have to go."

Ashley looked at Artie and exhaled. "It has nothing to do with Rachel. Artie, it was a fun week working closely with everyone at glee. It's just that I don't think I fit in there, you know? I'm not a glee clubber. I'm a cheerleader. Always have been."

"So… you're back with the Cheerios?"

Ashley nodded. "Sue asked me to come back, just this afternoon. She came up to me while I was at my locker. It was surreal."

Artie dipped his head as he processed the news. "That's weird," he murmured.

"It was," Ashley agreed. "I kept waiting for someone to wake me up, 'cause I was pretty sure I was daydreaming or something."

He shook his head and returned his gaze to his cousin. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"I don't—I don't know. I didn't get a chance, I guess. I didn't want to tell you through text, you'd freak out. I tried to catch you before you went to the choir room, but when I got to your classroom you were already gone. And, I really didn't want to face all of them. You know I suck at goodbyes."

"Still, you owe them an explanation."

She nodded. "I know. I'll call Kurt and the girls tonight."

Artie sighed. "It's always like this with you. You always leave too soon."

He was referring to all those years when summer vacation had to end and Ashley had to go back to wherever she lived. It always made him sad to see her leave.

"I'm sorry, Artie. That's just how it is."

And, Ashley had always said that same thing every end of summer to put reason into him.

* * *

_**A/N: Hello and thank you to all who just put this story in your Story Alerts! I'm thinking that you read all 27 chapters in one sitting. That's so cool, you guys, thank you!**_

VoiceInMyHead **_– Aw. I hope you're all better already by the time you get to read this. :)_**

MissMattSmith _**– I kinda had a feeling you'd like that one. LOL. :D**_

CryingRosex3 _**– She will. :) Thanks so much for reviewing! I believe this is your first time to review my story. Thanks!**_

_**Still a big thank you to everyone who is silently lurking… maybe one day you could leave me a little message on what you think about this story? :)**_

_**Next Chapter: Nothing In This World**_


	29. Nothing In This World

Chapter 29

Nothing In This World

* * *

As soon as dinner was over, Ashley called Kurt first and explained in detail why she decided to leave and how sorry she was that she didn't give him a heads up. Kurt hysterically bitched about the whole thing before Ashley spoke, and in between her explanation, and after she concluded. But, they ended, of course, in good terms.

She called Mercedes next. Then, Tina. Then, Quinn. Then, Matt. Well, she didn't really call Matt; he called her asking about why she left glee, so she explained it all to him as well. She pondered on whether she should call Puck, but immediately decided against it. For one, he didn't really ask (not even through text); also, she'll see him tomorrow—if not at the halls in between periods, for sure at the bleachers during Cheerios practice (she genuinely trusted Puck to keep his word).

The next day, Artie and Ashley were greeted in the parking lot by the usual crew: Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Mike and Matt.

"Matt told me," Mike said as he went and hugged Ashley.

"Did he tell you I was dying?" Ashley asked, looking at the others as she did. They were giggling.

"Oh god! Are you?" He hugged her tighter.

"Okay, that's too much!" Ashley exclaimed as she slapped his back, laughing.

Mike released her. "Oops. Sorry," he said with a grin.

"I think my ribs are broken." Ashley held her side. "Seriously unnecessary, man!"

Tina playfully pushed Mike hard against his right arm, causing him to lose balance and stumble a few feet away from the huddle. It was at that exact moment when Finn, hand in hand with Rachel, walked by.

Finn saw them and, without warning, pulled Rachel to the group. She had panic on her face as she was overpowered by her athlete boyfriend. She had no choice but to follow.

"Hey, Ash, what happened?" Finn asked as he got closer.

"Hey, Finn, Rach," Ashley greeted.

Rachel looked at Ashley and the girl had the usual friendly smile on her face. "Hey," Rachel greeted back, a little bit quieter, but no one really noticed.

"Coach Sylvester asked me back. What can I say? She needs me."

"Aw, but you can do both," Finn said. "I do both sports and glee."

"I'm just not glee club material. It was a fun week, but I don't think I can keep up with all of you at this."

"That's really too bad. I hope you change your mind though."

"She will," Kurt said. "We'll annoy her with it."

Ashley laughed.

After a few minutes, the group dispersed with Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Artie and Ashley walking into the school, Matt and Mike going to the gym lockers, and Finn and Rachel falling behind the two jocks.

"I—need to tell you something," Rachel began.

"What?"

Rachel gripped his hand tighter. "I think I'm the reason why she quit."

"That's ridiculous," he said after immediately realizing that Rachel meant Ashley. "She just said it's 'cause she's back with the Cheerios."

Rachel shook her head. "She just said that. I really think it's because of me."

Finn looked at Rachel, who was looking at her feet. He turned ahead to see his teammates disappear in the corner; and then, stopped walking to focus his attention on his girl.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"I screamed at her the other day."

"What? Rachel, why?"

"I don't know," she huffed. "I was upset. It just happened. I scream at you guys all the time, right? It shouldn't have been a big deal."

"What did you say?" Finn was trying to hold back any hysterics, seeing as Rachel was already hysterical herself.

"I—I told her that she stole… that she stole our duet."

Finn's shoulders fell. "Rachel…"

"I know. I know she didn't and that it was Mr. Schue who wanted to try it. I know."

Finn sighed.

"And," Rachel continued.

"And?" Finn arched an eyebrow.

Rachel nodded. "And, I told her that she can't steal you away from me because you love me."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! It was stupid, I know!"

"Rachel, she never even talked to me about anything other than glee! And, only _during_ glee rehearsals!"

"I know," she said remorseful.

"I don't think she's given you any reason to think that."

"I know! I said I was sorry, okay?"

"God!" Finn exclaimed as he gripped his hair with both hands.

Rachel watched as her boyfriend tried to regain composure.

"All right," Finn began. "Everything seems okay. I mean, she obviously hadn't said anything to the others. No one looked like they were gonna murder you. So, it's okay. We're okay."

Rachel's eyebrows met in between when she heard this. He was right. They didn't seem to know about her and Ashley's confrontation. Ashley didn't tell them.

"Come here," Finn said, breaking Rachel's thoughts. He didn't wait for her to come; he stepped closer to her and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry I overreacted."

Rachel hugged him back. "It's okay."

* * *

"Hey, don't forget after glee," Ashley said as she was about to cross paths with Puck on the stairs on her way to the second floor hall.

"Yeah. No, I won't," he replied. He was on his way down.

"See you later, then." Ashley waved.

They already passed each other when Puck turned to catch up with Ashley. "Hey, hey, hey," he said as he climbed two steps at a time.

Ashley was already at the top of the stairs when she heard him. She stopped and waited.

"Matt told me why you left glee," Puck said as soon as he was on the same level as she. "I don't believe it."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, and after a heartbeat, shrugged. "Not my problem."

"So what's the real reason?"

"I already said the _real_ reason."

"It's Rachel, isn't it?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Why would you assume that me leaving has anything to do with Rachel? And, it's not just you. Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn and Artie asked me the same thing too!"

"Because I know for a fact that Rachel is over-protective of glee and of her status in the club. I told you before that you could easily beat her in a diva-off, remember? She knows that now. I think she's threatened. What did she do to you?"

"Yeah, nice try. She didn't do anything. Look, it's got nothing to do with Rachel. I just want to focus on the Cheerios right now. We're cooking up something awesome." Ashley ended with a smile that hinted of a secret.

"For the talent show?"

"Wha—how'd you know?"

He grinned. "Brittany told me."

"Thanks for the info. Now I know who's gonna get a good spanking later this afternoon."

Puck's eyes widened. "Can I come watch?"

Ashley grinned. "I knew you'd like that." She hit him on the arm before she turned to walk away. "And no, you _can't_ come watch," she called.

Puck smiled as she saw her enter a classroom. He shook his head and climbed down the stairs as soon as the bell for third period rang.

* * *

Glee rehearsals that afternoon proceeded as usual, as if Ashley had never been part of the club. It was like it had always been before. Nobody discussed Ashley's departure because they were all busy doing choreography for the week's assignment. When the hour was over, Santana and Brittany left the choir room without saying goodbye to the others, who still lingered there.

"Dude, we're going over to Justin's. His parents are out of town," Mike said to Puck. "Free beer, baby!"

"Cool. I'll meet you guys there," Puck said. "I have to take care of something first."

"Alright, man."

Puck was almost at the door when Finn called his name. He turned to see the big guy walking towards him.

"I left the playbook in the shower room lockers. Can you get it and just take it home? Coach will kill me if I lose it," Finn said.

"Yeah. No problem, man."

"Awesome. Thanks." Finn gave Puck a quick tap on the shoulder before turning his back from him.

For a moment there, Puck saw Rachel looking at him. She looked sad. He wasn't sure though if what he saw really was sadness because he immediately turned away and walked towards the field where he promised to meet Ashley.

He got to the field and saw a bunch of girls in cheerleading uniforms doing stretches. He went up to the bleachers, which he found empty. He sat and watched the girls in red and white.

His eyes focused on Santana, in a huddle with Brittany, Jane and Reyna. Soon enough, the huddle adjourned and Santana called everyone to a half circle facing her. Santana looked up unintentionally at the bleachers and saw a single person seated. She froze for a moment, until Puck raised a hand as a sign of acknowledgment and she nodded in response before returning to her team.

"Hey!"

Puck turned to his left. Ashley was walking towards him. She ultimately seated next to him, with only about a foot away of space between them.

"I didn't know you had practice. Why aren't you down there with them?" he asked.

"There's no practice really. They're just gonna do a run of their new routine before Santana and I meet up for our entry in the talent show."

"So what am I doing here?"

Ashley turned her bright face to him. "I want you to watch them."

They both returned their attention to the field, where Santana was checking the girls' formation. When she turned to face the bleachers, Puck noticed that she was wearing a headset. He looked at Brittany. She wore a headset too; and so do the two other girls standing behind her.

"I actually chose this song for this routine," Ashley informed him, not tearing her gaze from the field. Puck turned to her, and she turned to him with a smile. "Listen carefully to what it's saying, okay?"

He nodded.

As soon as the speakers blasted beats from the song, Puck and Ashley focused back to the Cheerios. They were shaking their pompoms in front of them while their hips moved in synchrony as soon as the first lyrics were sang:

_Da-da da-da duh-rah-rah_

_Da-da da-da duh-rah-rah_

As the girls moved to different positions, Santana remained in place and sang the first verse.

_So I was thinking to myself_

_When you passed me by_

'_Here's what I like'_

_And you were with somebody else_

_But you can't deny_

_That's me in your eye_

Brittany settled on her place at the right side of Santana, and joined her in singing:

_Do you know what's like_

_When it's wrong but it feels so right_

Jane and Reyna took to their places beside the leads, bordering Brittany and Santana. All four girls sang the chorus in harmony.

_Nothing in this world_

_Can stop us tonight_

_I can do what she can do_

_So much better_

Although every girl in the field danced the same steps, it was unmistakable that the four was a distinct unit, and thus, properly highlighted in the set.

_Nothing in this world_

_Could turn out the light_

_I'm gonna make you feel alright_

_Tonight_

Puck turned to Ashley. She looked at him, too; her usual smile painted on her face. She pointed to one ear as she mouthed, "Listen". She then pointed to the girls on the field and mouthed, "Watch". He did.

He thought Ashley seemed excited. He stared on the field as he pondered on why he really was there at that very moment. The red and white dancing cheerleaders blurred in his vision. The lyrics of the song entered his ears, though. It was blasting in the otherwise empty field after all. It was hard to ignore.

_I gotta tell you somethin'_

_It's somethin' that you just might like_

_No, it's not the same thing_

_Yeah, you'll learn I'm not too shy_

_You and I, we can do this thing toni—ght_

As the chorus repeated, Puck saw the Cheerios again—from a mere blotch of dual colored blending in a palette to individuals that moved perfectly together. There no longer existed a distinct unit of four. There was now a filled rectangle formation of cheerleaders, except that Brittany and Santana were specifically picked out from the group. The two were on the front of the formation, as if leading the whole group.

The girls made a wave-like movement that ended up absorbing Brittany into the group and leaving Santana on the spotlight. Eventually, though, Santana was absorbed into the group as well. During the conclusion of the song, the Cheerios danced in their usual perfection. And, at Santana's final _Tonight_, the Cheerios made their always-sexy poses.

Puck realized that the girls were actually waiting for something. The next thing he knew was that the girl at his side was already standing up and shouting, "It was perfect!" Only then did the ensemble on the field relax.

He stood up as soon as Ashley turned to face him.

"Did you listen?" she asked.

With pressed lips, he nodded.

"What did you think?"

"Santana… was… she was good."

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed. "Just good?"

"She was great."

Ashley beamed upon hearing this. "You know, I'm glad I was up here with you today."

Somehow it felt automatic for his lips to curl up. "Me too."

"Hey, I'll talk to you later, okay?" Ashley said. She didn't wait for him to respond. She immediately turned around and walked off the bleachers to meet Santana.

Puck quietly watched her walk away. Before she completely disappeared, he turned and exited on the other side to proceed to the shower room and get the playbook from Finn's locker.

* * *

**_A/N: The song featured here is "Nothing in this World" by Paris Hilton. I know I said this story is going to be 50 chapters tops, but to be honest with you all, I don't know if I could do that. I feel like this is gonna be longer than that. Is that a bad thing in fanfics? Anyway, I feel like if I rush the story to fit everything in 50 chapters, I'd be compromising my very own artistic freedom to express myself through writing (you know, stuff like that)._**

**_But since you're still all here, reading, I'm very much grateful. :)_**

VoiceInMyHead _**- That's good news. I'm glad to hear you still have the energy to continue reading this super long fic. :D**_

courixoxo _**– And, I love you! Thanks so very much. You have no idea how good it feels to see comments like yours. They inspire me. Thank you for that.**_

MissMattSmith **_– hahahaha! I never thought anyone would think Ashley has MPD. I mean, she's kinda two-faced… but MPD never crossed my mind at all. That's actually a good point you have there. And, thank you, I like my Santana too. I hope you'll like her more as we progress… cos I'm showing just how important her role in this story is… soon enough._**

_**Much love to**_ sailingchick16, Brit . Brat1992 **_and, my official ray of sunshine,_** xx-cristieee-xx.

**_Next Chapter: Later_**


	30. Later

Chapter 30

Later

* * *

When Ashley got to the field, most of the girls were already walking away. Santana had already allowed them to leave.

"Have I ever told you you're awesome?"

Santana turned to the direction where the voice came from and grinned. "Actually, no. I'm kinda disappointed."

"Well, I'm sorry about that," Ashley said with a wink. She proceeded to sit on the bench next to Brittany. "I love the whole wave-like formation."

"My idea," Brittany said nonchalantly before she drank from a water bottle.

Ashley turned to Santana, an eyebrow arched. Santana, holding back laughter, made a quick nod.

"You're a genius," Ashley said, returning to Brittany.

Brittany shrugged. "What're you gonna do?" she said as she stood up. She walked a couple of steps before turning to the other two girls. "I think I put lasagna in my locker yesterday. I have to see if it's still there."

"Uh," Santana began. She and Ashley looked at each other for a moment before returning to Brittany and saying, "S—sure. We'll meet with you in the choir room?"

Brittany nodded before she finally turned and sprinted across the field.

"Did she just say 'lasagna'?"

Santana, just as confused, could only shrug.

Ashley jumped up and, with full energy, announced, "I spoke with the AV Club. We could shoot the video this weekend. I already got the song and I think it will work perfectly for us. You'll totally love the overlapping voices."

Santana nodded as they began to move towards the school building. "Is it fast-paced?"

"No. I figured we don't really have much time to do big choreography for this one. We'll make do with sexy and mysterious, mostly."

"Okay. So what were you doing up there with Puck?"

"Oh," Ashley said, trying to conceal her smugness. She shrugged. "I asked him to meet me there so he could see you girls perform your new routine."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I don't see why. I mean, he's been with every girl in this squad. A new routine isn't gonna make him re-tap any of these asses."

Ashley's eyes furrowed. "What the hell happened to you to make you so negative like this?"

"I'm not negative. I'm just smart enough to know not to get my hopes up on anything."

"Well, I for one am hopeful. I know he's gonna get it."

Santana stopped in the middle of the field. "Gonna get what?"

Ashley's lips spread into a sneaky smile. "The message of the song."

Santana's forehead creased as she looked down on the green velvet under her feet and thought about the lyrics. Realizing what it meant, she shot a look at the redhead. "Crap! What did you do?"

"I helped out a friend!"

"Oh my god, Ashley! Are you insane?" At this point, Santana was already quite frantic.

"Will you relax! I just gave you a little nudge. You're in love with him! Why won't you admit it already?"

Santana's eyes widened. "No! I told you already that I'm not!"

"I see the way you look at him, Santana! Stop lying to me."

Santana huffed. She walked around to calm herself down.

"Look, it's okay," Ashley said in a calmer tone. "I didn't tell him anything. I just told him to listen to what the song is saying. That's all. But you have to give it a chance. This could be—"

"Ash," Santana said, interrupting the other. She was level-headed now. "I know what you're doing. I get it. Thank you. But, you are so completely wrong."

Ashley sighed. "Santana—"

"Stop." Santana raised a hand for emphasis. "I am _not_ in love with him. Ugh. I can't believe I have to explain this. I miss being with him. I—I miss… I miss the sex. That is all."

"B—but you…"

"I can't be in love with him. And I don't mean that because of Quinn and their baby. I mean I can't be in love with him because he's never actually treated me right. Not right enough for me to love him."

"He's your friend… You guys are okay in glee… I see you…"

"Now, he is. H—he's different now. I guess we can say that… he has… improved, I guess is the word. But when we were together, I was just a piece of ass to him. He never really cared about me. We just did it a lot. So you see I _can't_ be in love with him. Being treated like a cheap toy isn't exactly the way to make me go head over heels for someone."

Ashley didn't know how to respond. She's never seen this side of the Latina before. And she never actually thought of it that way… Santana's way.

"So, you really don't…?" Ashley asked.

Santana slowly shook her head. "I really, _really_ don't."

"But, what if he…?"

"He won't. Not with me. H—he'll think I'm just trying to have sex with him again."

Ashley had a horrified look on her face. "There's no way he'd think that!"

Santana nodded knowingly, with an expression that says 'I'm sure of it.' "Fine. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Puck gets some kind of feeling for me. Still no deal. There's a chance he could work it out with Quinn. There's a chance that they could be a family. And, as long as that chance is there, I'm not going to get in the way.

"Look, I know everyone thinks I'm a cold and heartless evil bitch, but somewhere in this ridiculously hot and intimidating exterior is a living, breathing, warm-blooded human being. I know what it's like to have a broken family, and it sucks. It's hard work keeping yourself and your mother from going over the edge, and I hated it! I mean, I shouldn't have to deal with that kind of shit at 6 years old. Now, if it's even remotely possible that Summer won't have to go through what I went through, then I'm all for it."

"I," Ashley began. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Santana sighed and rolled her eyes. "You get into other people's business way too much. You're not Dr. Phil, you know."

Ashley didn't reply.

"Ugh," Santana said, annoyed, as she took Ashley's wrist. "Forget about it. Let's go inside." And, she pulled the redhead towards the building.

* * *

Puck walked reflectively to the locker room. He picked out some of the lines in the lyrics of the song that Santana had sung. _Baby, you and I, we got what will never be. You know I'm right. So, tell me what you're waiting for when you're here with me? Most guys would die._

He didn't think it was possible, but he realized that, perhaps it's true what they say: anything is possible. But, the show, he didn't understand it. She didn't have to do such a big show to get her message across. She could have just went up to him and told him. Hell, she could've just texted him about it. He won't mind. It'll be awesome, nonetheless.

She really is something else, he thought.

Puck entered the locker room and proceeded to Finn's locker and got the playbook. He didn't linger; he walked out as soon as he got what he came for. On his way to his truck, his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. It was Rachel.

_"Are u still stressed out?"_

Crap, he thought, then sighed. Puck replied: "Kinda".

He was nearing the parking lot when Rachel texted back. _"Are we good, Noah?"_

Puck stared at the text message and pondered. _Why do you keep making an effort at this? Why don't you just let it go, Rachel? It'll be so much easier for both of us._ –was what he wanted to reply. Instead, he decided to give her a break and just texted: "Sure."

"Puck!"

He turned to where the familiar voice came. Quinn smiled and waved from a distance. He stopped when he realized that she was on her way to him.

"Heeeey, what are you still doing here?" he inquired with a friendly smile.

Quinn sighed. "I was supposed to ride with Kurt, but he forgot and now he's gone. And, the school bus is gone too. C-can you maybe…"

"Come on, I'll bring you home."

Quinn grinned and nodded. "Thanks."

Before he got into his truck, he checked his phone again. Rachel didn't text back. Puck knew then that she didn't believe him.

It was a pleasant drive. In fact, it was one of those rare perfect moments in Puck's life. Quinn was vibrant and chatty. She updated him about the talent show and told him some ideas about the coming prom. Then, she told him stories about Summer and the random stuff that she does. Puck felt like, in some weird and uncertain way, Quinn is welcoming him into her life.

And, she was. Quinn's conversation with Artie a few days ago made her think about her situation with Puck. In the following days, her eyes opened to a myriad of possibilities that she might be wasting.

She knows that Puck cares about her and their baby girl. And yet, she was too afraid to let him be part of their lives. She was too focused on her fear of what having him in her life might bring that she overlooked the possible satisfaction and love that she might get. Quinn was too skeptical. She was too negative.

Puck stopped the truck in front of the Schuester residence. Quinn thanked him again before she opened the door and got out.

"Hey," she said through the window. "This is last minute and all, so I'd totally understand if you'd say no. But, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner here tonight."

Puck, pleasantly surprised, smiled and said, "That would be awesome. I mean, the food here always beats the food at home."

Quinn laughed as he turned off the engine and got out of the truck. They walked comfortably side by side towards the front door.

Dinner wasn't ready. It was barely 5pm when they entered the house. Quinn went to help Will's mom in the kitchen while Puck played with her daughter and hung out with Will's dad. An hour had gone by like a breeze, until finally Quinn comes into the living room and announced, "dinner will be ready in 15 minutes."

"That's great! Haven't heard better news today," Puck said with a wink.

Quinn grinned as a she left to go back to the kitchen.

"Son, can you hold baby Summer for a moment," said Will's dad, already handing the child to Puck. "I gotta rush off to the bathroom."

"Of course."

As soon as the man was out of sight, and while Puck was making playful faces to the amusement of his daughter, his phone vibrated.

"Ooh, daddy's got a text message," he said to her hazel-eyed baby.

It was from Ashley. _"Can we talk later?"_ it said.

Puck stared at the screen for a moment; and the only reason his attention was diverted was because his child tried to grab the cellphone. "No, no, baby. It's not a toy."

For some obscure reason, Puck's mind wandered off… to Artie's house.

* * *

"Aren't you just excited about prom?" Ashley asked gleefully as she collected the food-stained plates from the table and put them carefully in the plastic dish container.

Artie sighed. "How can I be excited about it? I can't actually promenade, you know," he said as he flapped his right hand over his legs.

Ashley sighed, too. After a thoughtful moment, she perked up. "But you can roll. You should make her sit on your lap and you can just roll her around. That'd be unique."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Who is _her_?"

Ashley grunted as she raised the dish container and, as she walked out of the dining area and into the kitchen, said, "Tina."

She distinctly heard him sigh after she announced the name. Ashley returned to the dining area and caught Artie, his head dipped, picking on his nails. Her shoulders fell at the sight of her sad cousin. "You know she'll say yes if you asked her to be your date," she said, trying to make him feel better.

He nodded and quietly replied, "I know. It's just… I don't know. Should I even ask her? If she keeps on hanging out with me, I'm afraid she won't find what she's looking for. I really love Tina. I don't want her to be miserable with me."

"Oh, Artie," she said sullenly, rushing to sit on the closest chair to him. "You love her."

Artie let out a timid smirk. "It's too late to say it now, huh?"

Ashley shook her head. "No. It never is. You should tell her, Artie. You should tell Tina how you really feel about her."

Artie looked up and eyed his cousin with the saddest blue eyes she's ever seen. "It's not enough."

She could cry just by looking at him. Ashley had never seen anybody look so sad. She smiled at him with the hope that everything is not lost. "Then, you show her. You make her feel it."

Artie gave a weak smile, but he nodded.

They each went to their own bedrooms soon after to do their own rituals after dinner. Ashley settled by her study table and began to do homework. About an hour into studying, her cell phone beeped; the screen was flashing the name "Puck".

"Puck?" she checked through the receiver.

_"Hey, I'm here,"_ he said.

"You're here where?"

_"Infront of your house. In my truck."_

Ashley's eyes widened with surprise. "What? What are you doing there?"

_ "You said we'll talk later. It's later."_

She had completely forgotten about that. She sighed. Ashley knew that she needed to finish it tonight. She needed to straighten things out with Puck and correct her mistake. "Right," she said softly. "I—I'm on my way down."

_ "Alright. I'll wait here."_

Ashley turned off her table lamp and, with her cellphone on hand, quickly walked past Artie's room to get to the staircase. On her way to the front door, she caught her aunt and uncle watching TV in the living room. She told them that she'll be outside talking to a friend from school. She then dashed towards the exit.

She saw the worn out truck quietly settled next to the sidewalk in front of the house. Puck peered through the window and waved at her. Ashley raised a hand as she made the short trip across the lawn.

"You know, you could've just called me. You didn't have to go through all the effort of coming here," Ashley said through the open window.

"It's no trouble," he said, reaching out to open the door. "I had dinner at Quinn's, your house was on the way back."

Ashley sat on the passenger seat. "So I bet you were completely weirded out about this afternoon," she started.

"Do you wanna go for a drive?" he asked.

Ashley fell silent, stunned by the unexpected offer from the boy. "A what?" she managed to say.

"A drive. You know, just go around town. In the truck." Puck was composed. He figured that Ashley would find all this awkward. The girl may be popular and _very _outspoken, but she still has her shy moments. He wanted to try and keep her at ease.

"Uh," Ashley started, scratching her head unintentionally. "I didn't bring my wallet." She realized immediately that that didn't really make much sense.

"Not a problem," he said, starting the engine. "We're just gonna drive around."

Ashley could only nod as she felt the truck move to the street. She instinctively turned back to the house and caught Artie by the window, looking at the vehicle as it sped away. She knew then that he knew that she was in that passenger seat next to Puck. Suddenly, she felt concerned.

* * *

**_A/N: I want to send all my love to everyone reading. I've been really busy as of late and just can't update as often as I should. But, please know that I'm trying. Thank you, thank you, thank you all. Especially to those who tirelessly leave their thoughts:_** VoiceInMyHead, MissMattSmith & xx-cristieee-xx. _**You're inspiration to me.**_

courixoxo: _**You're not SUPER wrong. :D**_

_**Much love to you,**_ CrazyAvidReader.

_**If you got this far, then I hope you're still not looking for Puckleberry. There's nothing here with that. Puck & Rachel in this story are just friends. The summary is pretty clear of the ships that you'll find in this story.**_

_**Next Chapter: Under the Astral Blanket**_


	31. Under the Astral Blanket

Chapter 31

Under the Astral Blanket

* * *

"So, you wanted to talk about something?"

Ashley looked at Puck and answered, "Uh, yeah." She fiddled with the phone in her hands as she searched for the right words. "I… Look, I know I have been really weird for a couple of days now. Especially this afternoon. I hope you don't—"

"You know what, it's alright," Puck interrupted.

"Wha—really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I'm kinda flattered that you'd go through all that trouble just for me."

Ashley coughed a laugh. "Well, I at least you appreciated it."

Puck quickly flashed her a grin before returning to the road. "Of course."

She sighed as she turned towards the windshield. "I made a fool of myself, though. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. Some people just find it hard to express themselves. One of the first things that glee taught me was that if you don't know how to say what you want to say, just go ahead and sing it."

Ashley smiled, relieved that, at the very least, the other one gets it. "I totally agree with that. But, apparently, I was very wrong."

Puck was quiet. Suddenly, he didn't know where the conversation was going anymore.

"I shouldn't have done that," she continued. "I thought I knew what I was doing, but… I guess I didn't."

"N-no, it's all good."

"It wasn't. I can't pretend to know what my friends are thinking just by the way I see them. I guess I was just so used to being right all time. But I'm not a star child or anything, so…"

"What… what are you talking about?"

"I thought she was so into you. You know, like, she loved you? I really thought she was in love with you. And, I wanted to help her. I thought at the same time, I'd be helping you too."

"Whoa. Slow down, sweetheart. She? Her? The thing in the field, that wasn't you?"

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed, her questioning eyes steadfast on Puck. "What do you mean?"

"You told me that _you_ picked the song."

"Yes, I did. I thought it would clearly send the message across."

"It did. If the message was that _you_ wanted to be with me."

"What?"

Puck stopped the car in the middle of the empty road. He turned to Ashley. "What do you mean, what?" he exclaimed. "That wasn't the message?"

"Holy hell, no!" Ashley answered, incredulously.

"So, that was for—"

"Santana."

Puck's eyes widened. "What?"

She nodded.

"Have you completely lost your mind? Me and Santana?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

"No. No. I'm saying it like it's a not-going-to-happen-even-if-hell-freezes-over thing."

"Pfft. It already happened."

"I don't do sequels."

Ashley scowls at him. "Oh my god. You really are a jerk."

Puck cringed. "I'm not. Just occasionally. When I'm tired. Or at school."

"Oh my god."

"Look, stop saying that. I'm not a jerk, okay."

"You just totally dissed Santana." Ashley's voice was colder now. "She's my friend, Puck. You can't diss my friends in my face."

He stared at her stern white face and stuttered, "I-I-I'm… I-I'm s-sorry."

She looked at him disapprovingly, and it affected him in a way that nobody's ever done before. It was very unusual for Puck to be held down by a girl, like Ashley had just done to him. Of course, the only other girl who could do that to him was Quinn. But surprisingly, he didn't really feel adverse to Ashley's demeanor. He actually thought he liked it.

"Ash, I didn't mean it to sound the way it did."

Ashley crossed her arms. The crease on her forehead did not disappear.

"I… like Santana," he proceeded. "We're in glee together. We're friends. We just… we can't… you know, be together. We never had…"

She raised an open hand at him. "I can see you're really having a hard time with this, so I'm gonna stop you. Santana already gave me this litany about the two of you. I get it. I'm good."

He exhaled a breath of relief. It was followed by a momentary silence; one that was ended by the roaring engine of Puck's vehicle when he brought it back to life.

"So," Ashley began. "You thought _I_ was into you?"

Puck turned to the girl on his right. Her face was illuminated by the scattered rays coming from his headlights. She had a mocking smile about her lips.

"Oh, get over yourself," he said.

Ashley laughed heartily. "Hey, you were the one who gave me the material on a silver platter."

"I didn't set you up to make fun of me."

Ashley's hysterical laughter died down as soon as she realized that Puck seemed embarrassed. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me I hurt your feelings."

"Nah. My ego got a little bruised though. But, that's not entirely your fault."

"But, I still had a hand in it?"

"Of course. If you hadn't been all over me this past few days and being all mysterious and sh—stuff, I wouldn't have been misled into thinking that you were digging on me."

Ashley skewed her lips to refrain from laughing again.

"Wow. This is really entertaining to you, isn't it?"

She raised her index finger and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm okay now." It was the first time since they started moving again that she was able to look at her surroundings. They were on their way out of Lima. "We can't leave town, Puck."

"Relax. We're not leaving town." He was focused on the road; he didn't even bother to give her a glance.

Ashley stared at his expressionless face. She returned her eyes to the road ahead, occasionally glancing at her left, past the driver, and her right. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Don't worry, it's not far."

It was getting darker as they continued on. The lights from the lamp posts got dimmer as the exit to leave town got nearer.

"You know what, it's late," Ashley said, uneasy. "We can go there tomorrow, in the daylight."

He sneered. "What, are you scared?"

"Psssh. I'm not scared," she covered lamely. "What would I be sc—"

"Okay, we're here."

Ashley looked around. The truck was quiet now, parked at a darker side of the road, underneath a huge tree. Puck turned off the headlights, but in exchange, the moonlight shown brightly.

"Come on," Puck said as he got out of the truck.

"Where are we?" Ashley asked, following his lead.

"At my place."

She eyed him and asked, "Your house?"

"Yeah, right. I wish. Come on." Puck walked towards one side of the huge log gate. It was big enough to allow a person to squeeze through it. The kind that makes one wonder why the people who made the gate bothered to make the gate in the first place.

"No, no. Stop. This is trespassing," Ashley said, jumping to grip Puck's wrist and pulling him back. "Let's go back into town."

Puck quietly loosened Ashley's grip on his wrist and held her hand. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I promise you won't regret coming here with me."

Ashley looked up at him, still tensed, but nodded and held his hand tighter. Puck gently pulled her, leading her into the vicinity. When she crossed over from the legal into the illegal, she imagined sirens going off and shotguns aimed at them. But, nothing happened. It was still quiet. Even after walking a couple of feet since she entered the gate, it was still quiet.

"Alright, sit down here," he said, assisting her as she sat on the grass. He let go of her hand and started off to leave. "I'll be right back."

"No! You can't leave me here." She reached for him and caught his shirt.

"I'll be gone a minute. I'm just gonna turn on the lights."

"I'm coming with you," Ashley said getting ready to stand.

"I want you to see them as soon as they're turned on. Don't worry, you're safe here."

She was quiet. Puck knew that she was beginning to loosen up. He, then, gently pulled her hands away from his shirt. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Fine. But, if you leave me here, I swear to God—"

He laughed. "I won't. Didn't even cross my mind." He stood and began to walk away. Ashley could feel him getting farther. "Of course," Puck called. "Now that you gave me the idea…"

"Puck!"

"Kidding!"

She could hear him snickering. He wasn't far off.

Suddenly, floating lights above her burned—tens of glowing shell-like lanterns hanging on trees that surrounded Ashley. The trees had flowers on them, perfectly highlighted by the glittering lanterns. When she looked down, she saw a very placid pond that reflected the lights from the trees. The perfect green velvet grass, on which she rested, made the place look like a portion of paradise.

A pebble, then, disturbed the smoothness of the pond's surface, creating ripples that began from where it dived and ended on the shores. Puck emerged from the darkness.

"Was I right or what?"

Ashley couldn't speak. The scene was breathtaking. And, when she looked above, past the lights from the trees, the moon and the stars welcomed her as an audience. "This… Wow… This is really beautiful."

"Told you it'd be worth it," Puck said as he sat down next to Ashley.

"How did you—"

"This is a summer camp. A few months ago, I got the job to be a sort of caretaker of this joint. I'm required to come here every week, just to check up on things; and clean up occasionally when it's really messy. This place is empty most of the year. Starting next month, though, camp counselors are gonna start coming here, like, every other day. Getting ready for summer, you know."

Ashley turned to look at the boy beside her and ask, "But, don't you already work at the Supermarket?"

He looked at her and nodded. "It's not like it's that much work or anything. I drop by here on Sundays. And, the pay's really good. Good enough that I actually get to put some money away. I mean, 'cause all the money from working in the Supermarket goes to Summer." Puck leaned back until his head touched the grass.

Ashley leaned on her right hand, secured on the ground, as she watched Puck lay down casually. "So you must come here often for you to call this _your_ place."

"Yep. I just need to get away sometimes. In a small town like this, you barely find a place where you can be alone."

Ashley straightened her body and stretched, getting ready to lie down on her back. "People don't know that you come here, do they?"

"Nope."

Both of them were looking up at the stars now; with his hands behind his head, and hers resting on her stomach. "Why would you trust me to keep your secret?"

"Why? I don't know. I never thought about it. Hell, I didn't plan on ending up here tonight. I don't know."

"Huh. What _did_ you have planned for tonight, anyway?"

There was a pause.

"Did you think that you might… um… get lucky?" Ashley suggested. She wasn't upset, just curious.

Puck pondered on it for a moment, and ultimately decided to be honest. "No. I was psyching myself for when you tell me that you want to be with me, but I didn't really think beyond that. I guess I just drove… and ended up in front of your house."

"Is this weird?" she asked.

"It should be."

"But it's not, huh?"

"No. Is it weird for you?"

"I…"

"Huh."

Ashley turned to him. "What?"

"It _is_ weird for you, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!"

"Then why'd you hesitate?" he said, turning to her.

Ashley sighed and returned her gaze to the astral blanket above. "Because… I don't understand why this is not weird for me."

Silence ensued for about a minute or two. Suddenly, Puck turned to his side and lifted himself up, resting on his left elbow, and stared at Ashley; she didn't react though. "You're into me, aren't you?"

Slowly, Ashley figured a grin on her face. "You are so vain and assumptive."

He smirked and laid back down. "Yeah, you're _so_ into me."

Ashley coughed a laugh and replied sarcastically, "Oh yeah. It's just my strong will power that's holding me back from throwing myself at you."

"Knew it."

She turned to him with incredulity. "Are you really that self-absorbed?"

"Are you really that in denial?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.

Ashley's eyebrows furrowed. She then tore her gaze from him and sat up. She was getting annoyed. Puck sat up too, but he was much calmer than she was because he knew that he hit a nerve; and he was rather proud of it.

"You can't talk to me like that," she said coldly while she gritted her teeth.

"Yeah? Why not? Is there a law?"

Ashley stood up and began to storm off quietly.

Puck jumped to grab her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going home," she said, twisting her arm to try and free herself from his grip.

"You plan on walking home?" he said, tugging her gently to him.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I can run home too. I'm in perfectly good shape. I can run a mother-effing marathon if I wanted to."

"What's the matter with you?"

"You're a turd! It was a mistake to come here with you." Ashley pulled away but he still wouldn't let go. "Let me go!"

He did, and she fell back on the grass.

"Oh my god!"

"You said to let go!" he exclaimed, running to help her up.

"Don't!" she said, slapping his hand away.

"Jesus!" He moved away. "You're some kind of crazy person aren't you? All that perky and friendly stuff you show everyone, that's just a front, isn't it? You're actually insane! You're like an evolved Berry!"

By this point, she was already standing up and brushing loose grass from her shorts. "At least, I evolved. You, on the other hand," she pointed, "remained Neanderthal!"

"Oh yeah? Well… well…"

"Oh, don't hurt yourself thinking of a witty come back."

He raised both hands in the air. "That's it. I'm done!"

Ashley moved back in surprise.

"It's late. I should take you home," Puck continued as he slowly walked back towards the truck.

"W—wait," she said, softer now. "What are you saying?"

Puck huffed. He stopped and turned to her. "I'm saying I like you. I _want_ to be with you. But, apparently, I'm an idiot to even think that."

"You like me?" Ashley took a step closer to him, her eyes on him and they were probing.

He remained perfectly still, as if a bear was approaching him. But he froze not because he feared that she might hurt him; he froze because he was worried that if he moved, she might run away. And, he didn't want her to run away.

"Puck… You know we're friends, right? I mean, I honestly think of you as my friend now. We can't just—"

"We can't just what?"

"Just—"

"What?"

"Will you give me a chance to finish?"

Puck pressed his lips and crossed his arms. He nodded as a signal for her to proceed with what she was saying.

Ashley took a deep breath and opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped herself—so suddenly reflecting on what she was going to say. "Hm," was the only sound that she was able to make.

Puck's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"I don't… know... what I was going to say."

"We can't just—" he reminded.

She shook her head. "No, I mean… I didn't really know what I was going to say after that."

Puck relaxed and walked to her. Ashley, instinctively, took a step back. He stopped on his tracks when he saw this.

"Just tell me that you don't want to be with me the way that I want to be with you and I'll stop," he said calmly. "I'll leave you alone. It would be as if this never happened."

"A—and, we'll stay friends like this?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I'd be too embarrassed. Look at what's happening here. Look at me! This is not me. I'm already giving you too much material to make fun of me in school. I mean, they'd just _looove_ to hear that badass Puckerman has gone soft. First because of Quinn, then you?"

"Oh. So it's about your reputation?"

"How about my feelings?" he countered. "Wounded ego and shit like that? I won't be able to look at you when we pass each other in the halls if this ends badly."

"Puck…" she began sullenly, as if there was bad news afoot.

"I got ya," he interrupted. "You know, I'm not that surprised, actually. Let's just go." Puck started towards the exit of the camp again, returning to the trail where he'd stopped the first time he decided to leave.

In the middle of that beautiful and cozy garden, underneath that wondrous preview of the universe, there were two hearts that were silently breaking into millions of pieces. And, before Puck disappeared from her sight, Ashley did the only thing that she felt she could do—fall behind him so that she too can leave that little paradise.

* * *

_**A/N: So, I actually wanted to slap Ashley silly while I was halfway through this chapter. I can't believe I annoyed myself with my own writing! She's so fickle-minded here, don't you think? Anyway, if you haven't noticed, this is actually the first time in this story wherein an entire scene took up the whole chapter. I had a dilemma on how to show Puck and Ashley are with each other. I thought about stretching it to days but I had a difficult time fitting that in, so I ended up with one long chapter instead. So, I hope you guys got the point of this.**_

ArtiexTinaxSupporter – _**I love that I-started-reading-it-yesterday anecdote. It just never ceases to amaze me that you were able to catch up with this story… I mean, really, it's 30 chapters! You're a fantastic reader! LOL! And, thank you for such kind words! I'm glad you approve of this story.**_

xx-cristieee-xx – **_I'm seriously loving you back! Thank you, as always. (I just can't say enough thank yous to you!)_**

lucy217 – _**Oh, don't be sorry. It's your opinion and I value it very much. The fact that you took time to read and to review is so much more than I could ask for. So, here's the thing about Rachel, based on my understanding of her character on the show: she's very self-centered a lot of times but she knows the value of every kid in glee. It doesn't matter that they're not really friends outside of glee, what matters is that when in glee club they are all part of one unit. I think of all the kids, Rachel gets this idea the most (next to Finn, of course).**_

iLuvTwiBoyz – _**You are waaay too sweet! Thank you so very much! Comments like yours really just boost my drive to keep writing. Ideas just come on easier. So, thank you for that too!**_

_**Much love to**_ HeartBrokenAngel3232, courixoxo, zitchdog, IloveDrama, _**&**_ xForgetMeNot95.

_**Next Chapter: Secret**_


	32. Secret

Chapter 32

Secret

* * *

The ride home was quiet. Quiet and uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Puck was focused on his driving, never leaving his stare at the road. Ashley was reflective, never leaving her stare at her lap.

Not long after they left the camp, Ashley realized that the truck was already lingering, only the sound of the engine interrupted the silence. She looked up and saw the familiar lawn. She was home. Ashley immediately turned to Puck-he kept his eyes straight ahead; his right hand gripped the gear shift, ready to drive off as soon as he can. She stared at him and waited for him to look at her. He didn't.

"Puck..."

"Goodnight, Ashley."

She stopped, thinking twice if she could bear for the night to end like this. Puck was a good guy; he was a good friend. Despite what people said about him, he's been nothing but nice to her. She didn't want a good friend to go away; she has so few real ones. But, if she didn't fix this tonight, she'll lose him.

"I'm sorry, Puck."

He didn't respond. He didn't move.

"Puck..." Ashley's right hand landed on the gear shift, resting on the back of his right hand.

He flinched at the touch of her skin. It felt different somehow.

She took his hand off of the gear shift and held it in both of hers. "No one can know," she whispered.

He turned to her in his surprise. "What did you say?"

Ashley looked up at his face and forced a smile. "They can't know... About us. They won't understand."

"Do you mean what I think you mean?"

She nodded, her smile turning into a smirk. "But, you're not listening to what I'm saying. No one can-"

"Know. Yeah, I heard. I get it."

Her face had a mixture of confusion and surprise. "You don't mind?"

Puck held her right cheek with his free hand. "I want you. That's all I care about."

It seemed to Ashley that there was something different in the way Puck had said it. She hoped that it was because he meant it. She hoped that it was because it was real.

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, I don't want you think that-"

"No'" he said, shaking his head. "I don't think that." A heartbeat passed and something dawned on him. "A-are you sure?"

She smiled her most reassuring smile and, with an angel's breath, said, "Yes, Noah Puckerman, I'm sure."

He stared at her face as if there was nothing more beautiful in the world. And, at that moment, he didn't think there was. Puck did what he thought was the perfect thing to do, he leaned in and he kissed her.

And, she let him. Even though Ashley knew that there were at least two reasons for her to push him away, she didn't. It was the first time someone had wanted her that she wanted back. This was a rare occurrence in her life and she wasn't going to let this go. And so, she had her first kiss with the notorious bad boy of McKinley High.

* * *

Artie stared below at the parked truck in front of his house. The lights in his room were turned off. He sat quietly on his chair while waiting for something to happen. What's taking them so long, he thought.

Then, the passenger door opened. A second passed before a pair of long, white legs cautiously stretched out and two feet landed on the pavement. Ashley slammed the door of the truck but didn't walk away. She returned to the person who remained inside.

Artie wasn't sure, but it seemed to him like she was giggling. She pivoted and began to walk across the lawn towards the front door. Midway, she stopped and spun. The driver's door opened and out came Puck. He sprinted quietly to her; she waited. Suddenly, and unexpectedly to Artie, and perhaps to Ashley too, Puck grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. He bent a little and kissed her. What was mind-boggling for Artie was not so much that Puck kissed Ashley, but that Ashley tiptoed to meet Puck halfway and kiss him back.

"What the hell?" he whispered in the darkness.

Artie wheeled away from the window; he didn't want to see any more.

* * *

"Goodnight," Puck said softly as he parted slightly his lips from Ashley's.

She grinned at him, before stealing a quick kiss and backing away. "Goodnight, Puckerman."

He lifted his chin and raised an eyebrow. "Puckerman," he said. "How sweet. Should I call you Abrams, then?"

"As long as Artie's not around. I'm sure you don't want to confuse him with me."

They shared a final laugh before she opened the front door and went in. Puck waited until she had closed the door before starting towards his truck. As he started the engine, he realized that Ashley remained by the window, waiting for him to leave. He waved to where he thought she watched, and then started his journey home.

The phone in his pocket rang. He carefully got it, making sure that the hand on the steering wheel had a steady grip. His eyebrows furrowed upon a quick glance at the screen. He pressed 'answer' and put the phone to his ear.

"Quinn, what happened?"

"Um, what? Nothing. Why? A-are you alright?" Quinn sounded surprised, like she was distracted. Perhaps it was because of the way Puck had answered her call.

"I-I'm fine. Are you? Is Summer-?"

"She's fine," she assured him.

Puck exhaled in relief. Realizing the perfect question to ask, he proceeded. "So why'd you call?"

"Oh. Well, I... I don't know. Just saying hello, I guess."

"Oh."

"What is that noise? Sounds like cans banging against each other. Kinda late for the garbage truck to make its rounds, isn't it?"

"Yeah. No. No, it's the engine of my truck."

"Oh. You're driving right now?"

"On my way home, yeah."

"Really? It's a bit late for you to be out on a school night. I thought you went home after you left the house. Guess that's why-"

"Hey, I'll call you when I get home. Is that okay? I mean, 'cos I'm driving and all."

"Right... I'm sorry, of course. I'm sorry. A-anyway, it's nothing important. I'll just see you in school tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. Have a safe drive. Bye."

"Bye," he said, before the line went dead.

A couple of minutes later, he was pulling into the driveway of his house. Puck turned off the engine and stared at his phone for a moment, pondering on why Quinn had called. It wasn't like her to be like that to him-chatty, friendly. It seemed to him that the winds are changing. As to why now, he didn't know. But if he's right, then he should grab this. He decided to dial Quinn's number and try to continue the conversation that was interrupted by his rudeness. But, before he could press the call button, his phone flashed again.

This time he froze. The name on the screen was 'Rachel'.

* * *

When Puck drove off, Ashley left the window where she had stood while waiting for him to leave. She walked quietly to the kitchen, where she caught her uncle rummaging through the contents of the fridge. A little banter ensued before she was able to convince him to hold off on the midnight snack. They headed up to the second floor together, separating only when they got to the top of the staircase, where he turned right and she turned left.

Ashley was tired, but she couldn't help smiling at how awesome the day had turned into. Puck and her? Who could've seen _that_ coming? Certainly not her. _Puckley,_ she thought. Ashley giggled at the nickname, then sighed. It's cute, but people can't know about them. Not yet, at least.

"Gah!" she exclaimed as soon as she had opened the door to her room. "Artie!"

The boy was on his chair in the middle of the room. His face was half hidden by the shadows created by the reading lamp on the side of her bed.

Ashley flicked the switch to turn the fluorescents on. "What are you doing?" she said as she walked past him to fix her stuff for school the next day.

"What are _you _doing?" he shot back. His tone was accusing.

Ashley was halted at the unexpected questioning. She slowly turned to him, and was greeted by cold stoicism. "You saw," she said in a low voice.

"You were making out on the lawn, of course I saw. If any of the neighbors were still awake and happened to walk by their windows, they would've seen too."

Ashley took a deep breath. "I can see you don't approve."

"You said you didn't like him."

"I didn't... At the time."

"He has a daughter, Ash."

"I don't care."

"And what about Quinn, huh?"

"She doesn't want him."

"You don't know that."

"If she did, Puck wouldn't have come to me."

Artie nodded. "So you accept that you're the rebound."

"No. No, I'm not! He wants me."

"He's using you, Ash! Wake up! You're top dog, everyone wants you!"

"That's where you're wrong, Arthur. He doesn't want me for show. He wants me for real."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. I... I told him that people can't know about us. I told him that we have to keep our relationship a secret. And, he agreed. He agreed, Artie. He wants me. Just me, and not the popularity surrounding me."

"I know you know that this isn't right. What's going on? Why are you doing this? Why are you choosing him? He's not the guy for you, Ash."

"Puck is sweet to me. He cares about me. I know he's not the best guy, but I don't care. He's good to me and that's what matters right? Didn't you always want me to be happy, Artie? Didn't we always want each other to be happy?"

Artie's expression softened. He studied her face very carefully, and he saw honesty. Underneath all that air of superiority and her shallow need to be popular and superficially loved by everyone around her is a little girl who is longing to be loved for who she really is-a nobody like everyone else. He sighed. "Are you sure about this, Ashley? Are you sure it's Puck?"

She nodded. "This is the first time I've felt like this. I-I don't know what 'this' is, but I love how it feels. And, I feel it only with him."

He stared at her for a moment. Then, he blinked, adjusted his glasses, and nodded in defeat.

"Thank you," Ashley whispered. "Now," she said immediately in better volume. "You cannot tell anyone. You have to promise. We _have_ to keep it a secret."

He started off towards the door as he said, "Like I had a choice."

"Thanks, Artie. You're the best."

"Yeah..." and then he was gone.

* * *

**_A/N: I'm pretty sure no one's reading this anymore. I suck at updating and writer's block just keeps following me everywhere! Just can't shake that off. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the 32nd installment, I just realized now that it's very very short. Thank you and so much love to you, if you're still reading._**

**_Next Chapter: Lost_**


	33. Lost

Chapter 33

Lost

Rachel rushed into the choir room, dragging Jacob Ben Israel by the sleeve, and Finn following not far behind. It was early, and Will has yet to arrive. Every kid halted when they saw a glee club stranger enter the room.

"Show them," Rachel told Jacob as she forced him to stand in front of the others; a laptop rested on both his arms, with the screen facing the part of the room where the majority of the people were at. Jacob hit a key to play a video posted on YouTube.

Some of the kids got up from their chairs and moved closer to the fifteen-inch screen.

The video began with the title of a song: _Too Lost In You_

They figured that this was a music video submitted for the talent show.

The title of the song faded and was replaced by the performers: _Sung by Cheers_

"What?" Mercedes exclaimed in a whisper.

There was no more time for another reaction from someone else because Santana's face appeared on the screen and she had begun to sing the first verse.

_You look into my eyes, I go out of my mind_

_I can't see anything cos this love's got me blind_

_I can't help myself, I can't break this spell_

_I can't even try_

Brittany took the next verse of the song and got face time on screen.

_I'm in over my head_

_You got under my skin_

_I have no strength at all in this state that I'm in_

_And my knees are weak_

_And my mouth can't speak_

_Fell too far this time_

In the chorus, all five girls-Jane, Reyna, Brittany, Santana and Ashley-were shown singing in the course of slow choreography. The moves were meant to entice the , Ashley had been careful in making the video. She wanted it to be sexy but not racy.

_Baby, I'm too lost in you, caught in you_

_Lost in everything about you_

_So deep, I can't sleep I can't think_

_I just think about the things that you do_

_I'm too lost in you_

"When...?" Quinn interrupted.

"About an hour ago," Rachel answered.

Artie pressed Esc to get rid of the full screen viewing.

"423 views in an hour?," Mercedes said incredulously.

"That's more than the total number of students in this high school," Tina supplied.

"I heard someone had already pledged a hundred dollars for Cheers," Jacob contributed.

"Wow," Kurt said.

"This is why Santana and Brittany hadn't been showing up at glee rehearsals," Rachel reminded everyone. "They were doing this!"

Everyone was silent. They continued to watch the video.

_I'm going crazy in love, my baby_

_I'm going down like a storm in the sea_

_No one can rescue me, ohh_

_Baby, baby, ba-by_

No one made a sound until the video ended. They all backed away from the laptop when it was over; some took their seats, the others remained standing. Their faces were expressionless. Although none of them said it, Rachel's words lingered in their thoughts.

"C-come on, guys," Finn said, breaking the eerie silence. "This is a good thing. They're gonna get a lot of votes and we'll get the money we need to go to Nationals."

"What, at the expense of losing Brit and Santana?" Rachel asked.

"W-we don't know that. So they missed a couple of rehearsals, that doesn't mean they're leaving glee," he reasoned.

"I bet if Ashley..." Rachel paused to look at Artie. "asked them to, they would in a heartbeat."

"What? She won't do that," Finn argued.

"We don't know _that_."

Finn lowered his voice at her. "Rachel, you're not helping at all."

She didn't answer. Instead, she turned to her fellow glee clubbers and waited for someone to react. No one dared.

It was at this point that Puck entered the room. He slowed when he got to the piano and saw everyone's face. "Who died?" he asked.

Finn turned to him and nodded. "Hey, man," he greeted.

"I just saw fro dude rush out of the room. What's going on?"

"A new entry from _Cheers _was uploaded in the YouTube page," Rachel said.

"Yeah, I saw. I think we got a winner." Puck definitely had some positivity in his theory.

Rachel looked at him disapprovingly. "And you didn't think of anything beyond that?"

"What-"

"Santana and Brittany were in the video," Finn hinted.

"Sure. They're Cheerios. I think that's the whole point," Puck explained.

"They didn't come to rehearsals last week after Wednesday, Noah."

"I asked Brittany about that when I passed her at the lockers this morning," Kurt interjected.

"She said she's busy and walked away," Artie continued. "I was there."

There was a pause.

"Well, I don't see a problem. That doesn't mean they're quitting glee," Puck concluded.

Finn nodded. "Exactly my point."

Quinn exhaled loudly and stood. "They're right. We should look at the bright side of this."

Will suddenly entered the choir room in high spirits. "Guys, I was worried that we weren't going to get enough money to go to Nationals this year until the Cheerios decided to join the talent show. Someone just sent Figgins a check for 500 dollars to vote for _Cheers!"_

"W-what? Seriously?" Quinn asked.

"You know it," Will said as he patted Finn, Rachel and Puck, signalling them to take their seats. The three followed. "Santana and Brittany went over to my office earlier and explained why they were MIA last week."

"Have you seen their video, Mr. Schue?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," he said. "The last time I checked, the video already has something like 500 views."

"Well, where are they? We can't start rehearsals without them," Rachel huffed.

"Actually, that's why they came to see me. They asked permission to be absent from glee rehearsals this week."

Everyone's reactions were a mixture of surprise, confusion and disapproval.

"And you allowed them," Rachel accused his teacher.

"Guys, guys, come on. Why are you all stressing? Awards night is this Saturday, and they have to practice for their performance in the show."

The kids were getting restless, worried at the possibility of losing members. Finally, the captain stood up.

"This is dumb," Finn said. "This talent show is our ticket to Florida. And while _some _of you have confounded suspicions, confounded? Is that right?" he checked with Will.

"Unfounded," the teacher subtley corrected.

"_Unfounded _suspicions about Santana and Brittany leaving, I think we should show our confidence and support in them instead." Finn concluded by looking at Rachel. She stared back at him darkly.

Will turned to the rest of his kids after a moment of focus on the tension between the 'king and queen' of glee. "Listen," he began as he took a couple of steps to get near to them. "I understand that you're worried, but Santana and Brittany have been in this club when we were in a slump, when nobody wanted to join us because we were at the bottom of the heap. Do you really think that they'd pack up now when everything is unquestionably going in our favor? We're on a roll here, you guys. We're halfway to the top. Brittany and Santana will want to see the view from the top with us. Because that's how it should be."

The kids exchanged looks. The new kids were a little relieved. Quinn, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, Matt and Mike took the teacher's word. But, Rachel was still highly suspicious.

Artie was worried, because he didn't feel as confident of his cousin's intentions anymore. The fact that she'd kept the making of the video a secret says a lot. Ashley didn't even give him a heads up about making Brittany and Santana miss glee rehearsals. Looking back, he figured, she probably wouldn't have told him about Puck if he didn't confront her. The glass was tainted now; it was clouded.

* * *

"You're such a screw up," Tina laughed as she playfully pushed Mike.

"I said I was sorry," he said as he coughed a laugh.

"Come on, let's try again. Let's do it in the hallway."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "In the hallway. Very kinky."

"Eww, dude!" She took his wrist and pulled him towards the door. "Let's just go."

Artie watched Tina and Mike disappear into the hallway. He had been watching them while they figured their presentation for the ballads exercise for glee. What an amazing coincidence it was that Tina pulled Mike's name from the hat once again.

"Hey," Quinn said, breaking Artie's musings.

He looked at her. "So what'd Mr. Schue say?"

"He'll meet with the sponsors tomorrow after school."

"Should we come with him?"

She shook her head. "No, he wants us to practice our ballad."

Artie picked Quinn's name again too.

"You asked her yet?" she asked, nodding towards where the door was.

"Nah. It's too early, I think."

"Prom's less than two months."

He shrugged.

"Okay," she said softly. Obviously, not wanting to further intervene.

"How's it going with... You know."

"Oh. It's going... It's not."

Artie raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "It's been difficult to get a hold of him this weekend. I don't know, he's busy with something, I guess."

"So you haven't sat down and talked?"

She shook her head. "He's always out. I invited him for lunch yesterday, but he had some place to go. I don't know. I didn't ask. I didn't want to pry."

Artie was a little quesy because, although he didn't know where Puck was yesterday, he knew who he was with. He felt that in keeping Ashley's secret, he was betraying Quinn.

Quinn and Artie have their own little secret too. For the past week, she had been opening up to him about Puck, while he had been opening up to her about Tina. It started off with convenience. With the two of them working closely together for the talent show everyday since its inception, it was only a matter of time before they bonded. They were genuine friends, for sure. But, they had an unspoken agreement about their friendship. They never gave anyone else any clue that they were actually closer than they appear in school.

"Artie?"

He looked at her. "Hm?"

"Do you think maybe he's gotten tired of waiting already?"

"Uh.. I don't know. Maybe he's just really busy. I-I mean, Summer's birthday is just a couple of months away right?"

Quinn's face lit up a little. She didn't think of that. Artie could be right. Puck could be working extra for Summer's birthday present.

Quinn smiled and nodded, eased by Artie's words. Artie smiled too, but secretly he was nauseated with his own lie.

* * *

As soon as Will dismissed the group, the baseball guys hurriedly rushed out of the room towards practice. Puck fell behind because he and Halle, one of the new girls, were straightening out their schedules for their ballads rehearsals. When they finally agreed, it was Halle who left the choir room first.

Before Puck stood to leave, he brought out his phone and found two text messages waiting for him. They were both from his secret girlfriend.

The first one read: _"We got 1200 views already! $300 were pledged to cast votes for us by Mr. Peppermills from the Mr. Juiceman at the mall! It's super cool! Wish you were here. I need to hug out my excitement! :D"_

He held back a grin. It wasn't easy. He thought her too cute, almost like a child.

The second one read: _"Can't wait to see you later."_

"Hi," Quinn said softly.

Puck looked up, and upon seeing who it was stood up. "Hey," he said casually. He inserted the cellphone in his pocket.

Quinn's eyes flicked towards the gesture, but quickly returned to Puck's eyes. She smiled. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at the house tonight? Summer misses you. You didn't come see her this weekend."

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry about that. Been kinda busy lately."

"No. Yeah, I completely understand. Just... You know, maybe you have some free time later..."

"Sure," he said.

"So you're coming over for dinner?" Quinn asked happily.

"Yeah. Sure," he replied with a smile. "Well, I gotta go to practice."

She nodded. "7 o'clock."

"I'm there," he said before exiting the choir room.

Puck walked on the empty hall towards the exit, when a voice called his name.

"Noah!"

Puck slowly closed his eyes when he heard Rachel's voice, but he didn't stop walking.

"Noah!" she called again. But he was pretty sure she was trying to catch up with him now. "Noah, wait," she said in between her breaths when she finally caught up to him.

"Oh, hey, Rach. I, uh, didn't know that was you."

Rachel looked at him with obvious doubt. She was the only one in school who called him Noah to his face.

"I saw you talking to Ashley this morning..." Rachel began.

"Yeah, it was about the talent show," he cleared. Puck always had a ready alibi for when people saw him and Ashley together.

"Right. Did she... Mention anything about Brit and Santana?"

He shook his head. "No, not that I remember. Listen-"

"I only ask 'cos I notice you guys are hanging out a lot."

"She didn't say anything."

Rachel studied him.

"Look, I Know what you're thinking about her. She's not like that. She would never sabotage glee over..."

"Over what?"

"Rach, I have baseball practice," Puck said coldly.

She didn't respond.

"Can I go now?"

Defeated, Rachel nodded. He turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye.

_Did she tell him? _She pondered. _Why would Ashley open up to Puck? Why would Ashley tell Puck something that she obviously didn't tell Artie? What the hell is going on here?_

* * *

"Ashley, front and center," Sue called after Cheerios practice ended.

The girl sprinted towards her coach. "Yes, coach?"

"Figgins just paged me that we got a thousand dollars worth of votes."

Ashley grinned, obviously proud of her achievement.

"We got this in the bag," Sue continued. "But you don't let them get complacent. Ride them hard until everything is perfect."

"Of course," Ashley affirmed with a nod. "We already started rehearsals earlier before Cheerios practice."

"What about glee?"

"Mr. Schue allowed Brit and Santana to take the week off for this one. He's very cooperative. He knows that our success is theirs too. He's cool with it."

Sue's lips curled up into a smile, a somehow ominous smile. "Outstanding," she whispered.

"Oh, it is," Ashley said with a smile.

The coach turned to her disapprovingly. "I didn't say anything to you," she scowled.

"But... There's just... Us... Here..."

"Get out of my face. You're ruining the moment."

Ashley cautiously stepped back and inched away while witnessing her coach return to her ominous smile. She proceeded to the area in the field where a small clump of Cheerios lingered.

"I swear to God, I'm gonna need medication to put up with that woman," Ashley told Santana, who was the first one to greet her.

Santana held back a laugh. "Sweet Little Ashley's not so sweet after all."

"Not when your coach screams at you for ruining her daydream."

Santana laughed. She took Ashley's arm and walked beside her. "We told Mr. Schuester what you told us to say to him."

"And...?"

"And, of course he allowed us." Santana took Brittany's hand as they passed her, so that the three of them were now walking side by side each other, with Santana in the middle.

"He said our video was awesome," Brittany informed. "He said I was awesome, too."

Ashley grinned and nodded at the blonde girl to her right.

"We got this," Santana said.

"That we do," Ashley seconded.

From a distance, the redhead caught sight of a familiar vision. Nonchalantly, she told her friends, "I have to make a phonecall."

As soon as she was freed from Santana's arm, she walked towards the bleachers. Underneath the massive aluminum seats, she met with her vision. It took her by the waist and locked her in place.

"Hi," Puck said.

Ashley giggled and replied, "Hey, Puckerman. Sneaking under the bleachers? Really? We're reduced to this now?

"Just trying it out," he replied before shutting her up with his lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. It was so wrong, but she loved the adrenaline rush of hiding out, of having a secret as naughty as this.

"Locker rooms?" Puck said as he pulled away from the kiss and bent to kiss her neck.

"N-no. I can't.." she said, in between her breaths.

"I'll sneak up to your room tonight," he offered, still not stopping with his seduction.

"The walls-" Ashley inhaled sharply when Puck grabbed her ass and pulled her hardly against his body. "The walls are thin... Artie will hear."

"We'll be quiet."

"He'll know. I can't, Puck. That's not my house."

She carefully pushed him away. He let her go when he realized this.

"I'm sorry," he started as he backed away.

"No," she told him, grabbing his baseball jersey and stepping closer to him. "_I'm _sorry. I- want to. I'm just... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."

"I don't want to pressure you." He took a step back again.

"You're not. Please don't move away." She stepped forward and rested her forehead on the side of his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her.

"You smell good," she complimented.

"_You _smell good."

Ashley snickered as she moved away. "Either we're both lying or we're just really compatible."

Puck smiled, took her cheeks in his palms and kissed her. "I'll wait," he said after he broke the kiss. "I'll wait for you to trust me."

She began to shake her head to reason out, but he stopped her.

"It's okay," Puck said, taking her in his embrace. "I understand."

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry. Thank you. Much love. You're all awesome. One day, I will have the time to acknowledge every one of you, the way I did before. For now, this is the only thing I can do.**_

_**By the way, the song is Too Lost in You by Sugababes.**_

_**Next Chapter: Dishes**_


	34. Dishes

Chapter 34

Dishes

Quinn stared blankly at her opened World History text book. Her thoughts were not particularly on anything school-related; not on the talent show, not on prom, not even on that very important Chemistry exam at the end of the week. For the first time, in a very long time, she was derailed from her priorities. At the moment, she didn't care.

She had been unfocused since last night when Puck didn't show up for dinner. He didn't even text her that he wasn't going to make it. Will's parents tried to comfort her by giving possible excuses as to why Puck had failed to come over. She had smiled and nodded. But, the seniors knew that it was a bigger deal to her than she had let on.

And they were right.

"Hello?"

Quinn looked up to see Rachel standing from across the table. "What?" she responded sharply.

Rachel was halted by the look that the blonde girl gave her. She remembered this expression clearly. Quinn wore it after Rachel "outed" her to Finn last year.

"Um..."

Quinn waited, but her expression didn't change.

"I was just... gonna ask... shouldn't we have some sort of coordination meeting with the AV guys and the jazz band about this Saturday's event?"

"Yeah, yeah, we will. I have them on standby this week for that," Quinn answered.

"Okay," Rachel said with a nod. She turned and had started to leave when she decided to do a hundred and eighty degree turn. "What's wrong?" she asked Quinn.

"Sshhhh!" exclaimed the librarian. Both girls turned to where the reprimand came from, and returned to each other at the same time.

"Nothing," Quinn said nonchalantly, returning to her book, pretending to read the text.

Rachel stared at Quinn, who was trying to ignore her. She looked to her left, then her right, and back to the blonde girl, who was still ignoring her. Rachel decided to sit down.

Quinn realized this and watched the other; she sighed quietly as Rachel got settled on her seat.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Quinn in a hiss.

"Look, I know something's wrong," Rachel said quietly, making sure they won't catch the librarian's attention again. "I've been watching you staring at that book for some 20 minutes now..."

"What are you? Some kind of stalker?"

Rachel ignored the insult, acting like she didn't hear it. "What's the matter, Quinn?" she asked in a calmer, more reassuring way.

Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, how about this," Rachel started. "I'm not trying to get into your business. I just think it would help you get your focus back if you talk out your problems."

Quinn almost smiled when she heard Rachel say this. She remembered saying similar words to the girl sitting before her now.

Rachel caught that. Even though Quinn didn't actually smile, Rachel knew that the other heard something familiar. She waited for the inevitable.

"Okay," Quinn said. "Do you know the feeling when you expected something from someone and they didn't follow through?"

Rachel nodded.

"It sucks, right?"

"Totally disconcerting."

"I mean, not that I blame them. I haven't really been that accomodating before. But, when you make the effort, like, really actually make an effort, and you're ignored, it... well, it's kinda upsetting."

Rachel pressed her lips and nodded.

Quinn exhaled and leaned back. "I don't know what to do."

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed. "Really?"

"Don't mock me," Quinn replied flatly.

"I'm not. It's just... _you_'_re _Quinn Fabray. You always find a way."

Quinn rolled her eyes. Mostly because of the rhyming.

"I'm serious," Rachel continued. "Okay, I'm gonna go all out here; is this about Puck?"

Quinn stared blankly at Rachel, not answering the query.

"All right, no names. How about I just throw back at you your own advice?"

Quinn raised both eyebrows.

"Talk to that person. Tell them how you feel about what they're doing."

Quinn slowly shook her head. "I can't do that."

"W-well, you have to. You... have to find... a way..." Rachel trailed of, realizing that it's the exact same thing she must do.

* * *

"Tee," Artie called as he inched closer to Tina, who was in front of her open locker.

"Hey, Artie," she greeted cheerfully.

"I need to ask you something." His face registered uncertainty, and she saw it clearly.

"Sure. Is there a problem?"

He paused. "Uh... Would you like to go to the prom... Together?"

"Oh..." Tina had not expected the invitation. At all.

"I-I know it might be a little difficult... But-"

"I can't."

"W-what?"

"I-I can't, Artie. I'm already going with someone."

His shock-stricken face was hard to conceal. "But, prom's still, like, ages away..."

"6 weeks," she specified.

"Who? W-why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"I thought..."

"I thought I made myself clear."

"You could've said something."

Tina looked at him incredulously. "Am I under obligation to tell you every single thing that's happening to me?"

"It would've been nice to have a heads up so I didn't have to embarrass myself!"

Tina coughed a laugh. "Wow. Yeah, this is so bad. This is so much more terrible than keeping me hanging on for more than a year."

Artie mellowed. "Tee, I didn't mean-"

"No. You know what, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I already have a date for prom. That's super inconsiderate of me." Tina slammed her locker door and walked away.

Artie could only watch. He was too unsure to follow after her. So ridiculously unsure that he turned and push his chair away to the other direction.

* * *

Puck turned to the corner and saw Quinn speaking to a girl, who was carrying a box on both arms. He walked quickly to get to them, making sure that he catches up before they could leave. The girl with the box saw him first, Quinn followed to where the other looked. He saw Quinn tell her something. They both nodded and then the other girl left, while Quinn waited for him to get to her.

"Hi," she said flatly with a forced smile.

"I'm sorry."

"It's o-"

"It's really not," he interrupted. "I meant to call, but it totally slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"Quinn..."

"It's fine, Puck. I'm not mad." She smiled.

He nodded, an obvious relief showed on his face. "Can I walk you to the cafeteria?"

"I'm on my way to the office. Artie and I are practicing our ballads for tomorrow."

"I'll walk with you."

"You don't have to."

"I know. I just want to."

A smiled slowly formed on her face. She nodded.

"So, how is she?" he said as they began their stroll.

"Lovely. We went to church on Sunday and she was so well behaved."

"Church? What about your-"

"It was another church. I'm not sure I want to see my parents yet."

"Have you talked to your sister recently?"

She nodded. "Last Saturday. She thinks she's pregnant, but she's not sure yet. Haven't heard any news about that."

Puck was about to make a follow-up question when he was stopped by the vibration that was happening in his front pocket. His cellphone just got a text message. He reached for it and quietly read what was written.

_'My lips are feeling dry. Wanna make out? Got the keys to the dance studio.'_

Quinn watched discreetly, moving only her eyes to the side and keeping her head straight. Suddenly, there was a sense of urgency in Puck. She expected him to say goodbye.

"I gotta go," he said.

She smiled mutely.

"Hey, I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Quinn could only nod now. She watched him rush away to whatever important thing he needed to do.

Somewhere in a hidden corner, a pair of eyes lurked in the shadows; clear blue eyes that stayed hidden until Quinn started off again to her destination.

Ashley stepped into the light, exposing only half of her designer-clad body. She watched, gripping her cellphone tightly against her chest, as Quinn turned right at the end of the hall.

* * *

"Hey, Kurt," Finn called.

Kurt turned as soon as he heard his name. "Hello, Finn."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Aren't we doing that already?"

Finn smirked. "Right."

Towards the end of Sophomore year, Finn's mom and Kurt's dad had started dating; and eventually, the Hudsons moved in with the Hummels... thanks to Kurt and his cupid powers.

Finn knew that Kurt did it to get closer to him. Kurt was gay. He knew it. Everyone in school knew it. And, Finn knew-he felt-that Kurt had some kind of crush on him.

Finn was not homophobic. He actually liked Kurt. But he just couldn't reciprocate what the kid felt for him. He wasn't gay.

Still, Kurt was persistent. Even though Finn had made himself perfectly clear, Kurt continually sought ways to get closer to Finn. Mostly, though it was just to get close to him, not really so much to woo him in anyway.

Finn, though, couldn't help but misinterpret Kurt's actions. the kid was too nice; and if there's one thing he learned from Rachel, it's that, if a girl always went out of her way for you then she likes you-likes you. Finn figured, well, Kurt's kind of like a girl, then perhaps the rule applied to him too. Finally, Finn felt that Kurt got too close for comfort and he snapped.

The two boys had a huge fight in Kurt's basement, when Kurt redecorated it to suit his personality and Finn's. All of Finn's frustrations on him having to bunk with Kurt in a house that is not even theirs was unleashed on the embroidered throw pillows and antique dresser and the chinese divider.

This fight affected the relationship of their parents, who had to undecide on their decision to move in together. The Hudsons went back to their older and much smaller house.

It took a glee club project for Finn and Kurt to be okay again. And now, they couldn't be any closer. And Finn actually loves it. He had an instant brother, even though sometimes he got teased about it by his teammates. It didn't get to him anymore. He didn't care. Kurt was family.

"You know what, let's talk later after dinner.. while you're washing the dishes," Finn said.

"Dishes?" Kurt exaggerated, as if he wasn't sure he heard him right. "I did the dishes last night. It's your turn."

Finn shook his head. "Nope. You traded in your Thursday last week for my Tuesday this week. It's your turn again."

Kurt thought about it and realized the giant was correct. "Huh."

Finn grinned. "I'll see you later at glee," he said as soon as he was on his way to his class.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Contemporary R & B**_


	35. Contemporary R & B

Chapter 35

Contemporary R & B

* * *

Will entered the choir room and went straight to the white board to get the felt tip pen. "You guys did a great job on your Ballads yesterday. Since it's Thursday and we're not having rehearsals tomorrow for the talent show preparations. Here's what we're doing next week..."

'Contemporary R & B,' he wrote on the board. He underscored it once, re-capped his felt-tip pen, and then tapped the board with it. He returned to his students.

"Contemporary R and B," he said. "Although the abbreviation "R&B" originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1980s. Predominantly in the 90's, it is characterized by polished record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, an occasional saxophone-laced beat to give a jazz feel, mostly common in contemporary R&B songs prior to the year 1993, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Can you give me examples of contemporary R & B singers you know?"

"Be-yon-ce," Mercedes enunciated. Will pointed to her approvingly and nodded.

"Alicia Keys," Santana said.

"That's right. One of my favorites, in fact," Will replied.

"Rihanna," Brittany said, raising her hand as she did.

"Very good, Brittany. But, how about the guys? Give us examples of male contemporary R & B singers." Will pointed to Artie.

"Ne-yo."

Will nodded, then pointed to Puck.

"Ushaahh," Puck said playfully. The girls giggled.

"Finn?"

"Uh," he started. "Backstreet Boys?"

Everyone laughed.

"No, no. Hold up. He's not wrong," Will told the kids. Finn straightened at the sound of this, obviously proud of himself.

"But Mr. Schue, aren't the Backstreet Boys a boy band?" Mike asked.

Will nodded once. "But that just means they're a group of boys who sing and dance and, despite the use of the word 'band,' don't necessarily play any instruments."

"Boy bands do Pop music, Mr. Schue," Matt contributed.

"Of course not!" It was Rachel. "Boy bands are open to a wide variety of music genre, just like any other artists. Jackson 5 is actually a boy band."

"Okay, thanks, Rachel." Will returned to the others. "She's right, you guys. A boy band is a common description for a group of performers and has no strict connection to any single music genre. So, here's your assignment for the week: Boys vs. Girls. I want you to find a Contemporary R & B song performed by a group."

* * *

"No Vitamin D this time!"

Finn laughed at his girlfriend's reprimand. He made an invisible X across his chest and raised his right hand. Rachel smiled. Then he took her hand and they walked out of the choir room together.

"What's on your mind, babe?" Finn asked upon realizing Rachel had her thinking face on.

"I think I just figured out a way to get to Noah," she answered without looking up at the boy beside her.

"Noah? What are you talking about?" He looked at her.

She turned to him and then back towards the hall. "Right. I forgot to tell you. I had this little conversation with Quinn the other day. She was really distracted." She paused and glanced at Finn. "No, I mean, _really _distracted. I've never seen her staring blankly in a really long time. My guess is it's because of Noah. She wouldn't confirm it, at least not to me, but I can sense it. I told you I got an eye for that sort of thing."

Finn relaxed. All he needed to hear was that any concern about Puck was not connected to Rachel.

"And, you remember how he's been acting all weird when it comes to me?"

Finn's eyes widened.

"I think it has a connection. Something's going on with him. He's hiding something."

"Rach, it's his business. Lay off of him."

Rachel stopped and pulled away. "He's still your best friend. And, he's my friend, too. He's the closest _I _got to a best friend. And, he's pulling away from me. And, I don't even know why."

Finn's frustration was building up. He was somewhere between annoyed and upset at her. "Why are you doing this? Why are you so hell bent on figuring this out? How big of a loss is it if you don't get to talk to Puck?"

Rachel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I-I just want to understand what's happening. I care about Noah. I care about what we have. I just don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose him."

Finn, suppressing his jealous rage, swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to keep it together. "And you're ready to trade me just to keep him?" he said in a low tone.

"What? No. What are you talking about?" Rachel grabbed his shirt and came closer. "I love you."

"Then, stop this," he replied, wrapping her around his arms. "Rachel, please. Every time you go crazy figuring him out, you're hurting me. Look, I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I am. I really am. And I can't help it. I get scared I might lose you."

"You won't..."

"Prove it. Ease my mind. Please."

Rachel froze as she pondered. She then closed her eyes, pressed her body harder against his and whispered, "Okay, baby."

Finn hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

"I can't believe they still haven't moved back in," Mercedes said as she sewn in a patch on a basic jacket she'd just bought.

"This is best for everyone. We still don't have an extra room for Finn and I'm sure he's not elated to be roomies with me. Ow," Kurt exclaimed when he plucked that stray brow a little too quickly.

"I don't think that's a problem with him anymore. From where I'm standing, it looks like he really sees you as a brother."

"Don't think that I haven't noticed that. We have dinner together almost every night. We're practically living together..."

Mercedes flipped her head to glare at him.

"Living like we're one family, I mean," Kurt corrected with an eye roll.

Mercedes made a face before returning to her sewing. "Don't be starting that shit again," she mumbled.

Kurt stopped and turned to Mercedes. "And, what is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means, Kurt. Leave it alone."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mercedes," he dismissed nonchalantly and returned to face himself in the mirror.

"What-evs, Hummel."

Mercedes is Kurt's best friend. If there was one person who knew every look he made, every mannerism he does, every thought bubble that's he's creating in his own fabulous mind, it would be her. So, she would notice something if that something was worth noticing.

It's been some two or three weeks when she had felt something different about Kurt. She noticed that he's been acting quite flirty again. This hasn't happened in a long time, and it was too obvious when it happened again.

The clincher? She noticed that he's being a little bit too close to Finn. Again.

* * *

"You okay?" Quinn asked. She had already noticed that Artie was a little distant, like his thoughts were somewhere else.

He looked at her and smiled. "Yeah," he replied lamely, and immediately turned away.

Of course, Quinn knew that something was amiss. But, she wasn't invasive when it comes to Artie, so she decided to change the topic.

"I don't know what's going on with Puck. I'm considering that maybe he's taking extra shifts for Summer's birthday present, but it just doesn't feel that way, you know?"

Artie instantly forgot about his woes on Tina and focused on Quinn's problems. He hasn't talked to his cousin for awhile. Ashley had been excusing herself from dinner at home the entire week. _Cheers_ is working double time for this Saturday's talent show. Artie's dad had been picking him up from school the entire week. Although they still rode to school together in the morning, the only topics of conversation were the talent show and _her_ girls' entry in it.

"You think he's doing something illegal?"

Artie coughed a laugh.

"What?" she said in between her own laughter. "We both know he's very capable."

He shook his head. "I don't think he's doing something illegal."

She shrugged. "It's a plausible theory."

When the hilarity died down, Artie's face became serious. He stared at her face, thinking if he dared ask.

"What is it, Artie?"

"Why do you suddenly care about Puck? I mean, don't get me wrong, I think it's great, but why? You never gave him the time of day before. Why now?"

Quinn's smile completely faded in the course of his straightforward questioning. "I don't know..."

He nodded, not because he was contented with her answer, but because he saw that she was uncomfortable.

"Because I think he loves me," she continued. "I-I think I believe that now. I want to give it a chance."

"D-do... Do you love him?"

Quinn hesitated.

Artie took this as a chance to proceed. "Because I'm thinking that it's possible that you're just scared of losing that one person who worships you. Aren't you worried that maybe he's in love with someone else? Maybe you're not his world anymore?"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed. "Artie, what are you talking about? Do you know something?"

"I..." Artie suddenly realized that he's got himself caught in a quicksand. Ashley's face flashed in his head, she was asking him to keep her secret. She was still his cousin, his best friend. No matter how weird things are with her at the moment, he just can't betray her that easily.

"Artie? Is Puck in love with someone else?"

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you to all the new readers who added this super long story to your alerts! To all still reading, you know I love you!**_

_**Next Chapter: A Night of Talent**_


	36. A Night of Talent

Chapter 36

A Night of Talent

* * *

The alarm clock went off. Ashley shot up from her bed and walked groggily to where her dresser stood, and turned off the clock. She went to her bathroom and proceeded with her morning ritual. It was Saturday, and what a big day it was for her, Santana and Brittany. An intense week of rehearsals boils down to tonight.

Of course, she was perfectly confident that they will totally nail their performance and win the contest. Ashley was the kind of person who aimed to be the best, she was a champion by heart; but she had the blood of a contender, and she never gets cocky until she has taken home the prize.

It was almost 8am when she opened her bedroom door to head out for final rehearsals. Before she could get to the staircase, Artie called her name.

"Oh, hey! You're early," Ashley greeted her cousin.

"Yeah, gotta be in school early today. Can you maybe-"

"Let's go. Coach Sylvester reserved the dance studio for us this morning. I'll meet you downstairs, okay?" Without waiting for Artie's reply, she headed down to the kitchen to grab some food.

"We'll see you kids at the talent show. We're rooting for your group, Ash," Artie's mom called from the front door as Ashley pulled the car from the driveway.

"Thanks, Aunt-"

"Ash," Artie cut in. "Watch out."

Ashley came to a sudden stop as soon as a newspaper boy's bike passed by. "Goddammit!" she exclaimed.

"Chester, you be careful in riding that bicycle!" Artie's mother called.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Abrams!" called the kid back.

"Are you alright?" she asked Artie and Ashley.

"We're okay, mom."

"We'll see you tonight," Ashley called as she sped away.

"On any other day, I would've given that kid a piece of my mind," Ashley huffed. "He's lucky I'm in a hurry this morning."

"Quinn asked me if Puck was seeing someone right now."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"What did you say?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't want to lie to her."

"Artie, you promised!"

"And, I kept my promise."

"But, you said..."

"I said I didn't want to lie to her."

"Oh," Ashley said with a tone of realization. She smiled. "Thank you."

After a minute of silence, Artie asked, "When are you gonna tell everyone?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm pretty focused on the talent show these past days. Haven't really thought about that."

"And, Puck doesn't mind?"

"I should think not. He's kept his promise too."

Artie smirked. "How do you know for sure? Finn's his best friend. He could've said something to Finn."

"Doubt it. If Finn knew, then Rachel would know. And, if Rachel knew, it'd be all over glee club. And then, Brittany and Santana would know. And... and, Santana would probably have given me hell for it already."

"Look, Ash, I don't like this secret. Quinn's my friend."

She glanced at him. "I'm your cousin... your best friend. You just became friends with her because of this talent show, which by the way, I cooked up."

"I'm just saying, things are really going well with the club, you know? I just don't want to jinx it."

"I'm not trying to tear up your club," she said flatly.

"Ash, that's not what I meant-"

"I know," she sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, after the talent show, Puck and I will talk about it, okay?"

He nodded. Although he felt that Ashley was half-hearted when she gave that statement, there really was nothing else to hold on to. And, besides, he had a problem of his own too: Tina. Artie wanted to talk to Ashley about that, maybe ask for some advice; but he figured that she was far too busy with her own business now to even mind him.

It was weird. Artie felt like all the important girls in his life are drifting away. He didn't understand it. And, he was beginning to feel like having Ashley here was not a great idea after all. Before, even though she was so far away, she remained the constant in the equation that is his life. Now, well, he's not even sure if there still is a constant.

* * *

Sue stood stiffly and quietly as she watched five of her girls rehearse their performance for the talent show that night. They were too perfect that she was certain they will win this thing. She didn't care actually about the girls winning. The contest itself is pathetic, there would be no glory in taking home the prize-especially when everyone already knew it was theirs to take home even before the show started. No, it wasn't about the prize.

Sue was after the publicity. She knew that the media would cover the event. Ashley had exceptional connections thanks to her mother, and it was exactly what Sue needed to make sure that people saw this show-important people who would make her girls famous.

After the perfect rehearsal, Sue pointed to Ashley and gestured for the girl to come closer. The rest of the girls took a break as the redhead went to their coach.

"No room for mistakes tonight, you understand Abrams?"

Ashley nodded. "Sure, coach."

"I want you to do two more after a 2-hour lunch, then 30 minutes in the sauna before the pampering. Hair and make up will set up shop here while you're out. I want you to make Miley Cyrus look like a hobo when you get up on that stage tonight. I want you to be perfect."

"It won't be difficult," Ashley replied with a smirk.

Sue nodded and turned to exit the dance studio. A smile formed on her lips as she whispered _Outstanding _to herself.

"Okay, not that I have a problem with it or anything, but is it just me or is Sue overly obsessing about this talent show more than she should?" Santana declared as soon as Sue was out of hearing range.

"Yeah, I know, it's totally weird. I mean, she's being obssessive compulsive about tonight like she does when the Cheerios goes to Nationals," Jane said in agreement.

"Maybe she entered into a betting pool, and she, like, bet a million dollars on us," Brittany offered.

The other girls made scrunched up faces at the comment.

"That's very unlikely, Brit," Ashley told her.

"It's not impossible," Brittany said softly, looking to Santana for affirmation. Santana nodded her head as a signal of agreement to the blonde's statement.

"Okay, you know what, there's really no sense in delving on this. We got two hours to do our own thing before we rendezvous back here for final rehearsals. Stay off of carbs, I don't want to come back here and find bloated bitches."

The girls dispersed as soon as Ashley gave the signal.

"Brit and I are going to the auditorium to see what's going on with glee. I want to take a peek at the stage too. Wanna come with?" Santana told Ashley.

"I have several phonecalls to make. I'll try to come by when I'm done," Ashley declined.

Santana shrugged. "All right. Just text me or something." She then called on Brittany for them to leave.

The door closed quietly on their way out. Ashley was left alone in the now quiet dance studio. She indian-sat on the floor and dialled her mom's number.

* * *

"That's perfect! Keep it steady!"

Puck entered the gym carrying the video projector from the auditorium. Quinn instructed her to bring it to the gym for the night's show.

Since there was little room in the auditorium, it was decided that a live feed would be shown in the gym for general admission. Tickets were quick to be sold out as soon as pre-selling was announced. The amazing thing was that even though the most expensive seat was worth $100, it got sold out in a day. This phenomenon alone made the glee club really excited for the show.

A loud bang echoed in the gym. A pair of pliers fell on the hardwood floors.

"Geez Mark! Be careful! We're still gonna use this court in the Winter!"

"Sorry, Finn," Mark called from the basketball hoop, where he and two others were securing the wide screen.

Puck was greeted by kids from the AV Club, who took the projector from him as soon as he was close enough. Having been freed from his burden, he walked over to stand beside Finn. They both looked up at the guys putting up the wide screen.

"I don't know about you, but I think this is the biggest stunt we've ever tried to pull," Puck commented.

"I don't think it, I know it. But, man, it's gonna be so worth it when we get the funding to fly off to Florida," Finn replied.

"Take it easy with those guys. They already think you're becoming the male version of Rachel."

Finn looked at Puck and smirked uncertainly. "Yeah," he managed to say. "Hey," he said in a sudden change of topic. "Rachel told me that you're acting all weird these days. You want to tell me something?"

"Cos I'm avoiding her? You told me to back off, didn't you?" Puck retorted flatly.

Although there wasn't any hint that Puck was being rude about it, Finn was still surprised. It caught him off-guard and became hesitant to proceed. But, he managed to say something anyway. "S-she thinks it has something to do with Quinn."

Puck quickly faced Finn with a probing expression. "Why? What about Quinn? What happened?"

"Look, man, I don't know. Rachel was just worried because Quinn hasn't been herself lately... And..." Finn trailed off when he realized Puck was lost in his own thoughts now.

"Dude, something _is_ wrong, isn't there?" Finn asked.

Puck shook his head, as if coming out of a spell. "No, it's all good," he said looking up at his best friend.

"You know, you're not as good at keeping secrets as you used to. It's all over your face right now."

"Forget about it," he told Finn, accompanied by a tap on the back. "I'm gonna head back. I need to get the speakers over here. Later, man."

Puck didn't wait for Finn to reply. He turned and headed to the exit. Finn didn't even try to reply. He simply watched the boy walk away.

* * *

Out of seventeen video submissions, only four made it to the Talent Show night. Sue was so sure that the three others would suck so bad, she made arrangements to make her girls the finale. To be fair, though, the first three acts were pretty good.

The first group was made up of kids from the gymnastics club; they did synchronized acrobatic exhibitions on stage to the tune of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. Of course, most of the kids wanted to shoot their brains out as the song blasted around the auditorium, but the moves were mesmerizing. The second group was a bunch of boys krumping on stage. The third performer was a one-man stand-up comedy act.

Mike knocked from the other side of the only backstage dressing room, which was for the exclusive use of _Cheers_. Nobody has seen any of them since lunch time, and it was Mike who get first glimpse of these girls.

Jane opened the door, and Mike was met with beautifully made up girls, like they were straight out from a rock show. All of them had the same smoky eyes with lots of mascara. They were all wearing boots of different lengths. All of them showed off their legs: some were in black leather shorts, the others in black leather minis.

"Holy…" Mike exclaimed under his breath.

"We're ready," Ashley told him.

* * *

Quinn joined the rest of glee club at the back of the auditorium. "Mike just checked in. They're on their way out," she reported to the others.

Rachel, as host of the show, came onto the stage as soon as the comedy act was over. "That was huh-larious! Give it up for Dave…" She flipped through her index cards.

"DAVE CARLOS, STUPID!" Some brute from the audience yelled. Everyone roared in laughter.

"ANYWAY," Rachel shouted over the laughter. "Our next act calls themselves CHEERS!"

Immediately, all lights shut off. Rachel was not ready for this and she was surprised by the extreme darkness that she involuntarily exclaimed through the mic, "What the hell?"

"Oh my god, she just swore over the speakers," Kurt whispered to Quinn, who was standing next to him.

A sudden heavy thump resounded, and then the mic fell on the wooden stage and created a feed back. Everyone cringed and moaned. "I'm fine! I'm all right every one," Rachel was heard in the darkness.

"I honestly thought she'd make it through the night without making a fool of herself," Mercedes whispered to Tina.

"We probably all jinxed it by wishing for it too much," Tina replied. They both giggled.

The noise was instantly hushed by one voice that echoed through the darkness. Most members of the audience have heard it before, and even though it had been quite some time since the public has heard it, they all found it very familiar when they heard it again.

Ashley's powerful instrument was haunting amidst the silence. She sang acapella the Cheers' own version of a Pussycat Dolls dance hit in a more mellow style.

_The world… slows down…  
But my heart… beats fast right now._

A couple more voices joined in the melody and created harmony in the succeeding lines. As sure as Will is, and those from Glee Club, they were Santana's and Brittany's.

_I know… this is… the part…  
Where the end starts._

Momentary silence again. The curtains parted. A dim light on stage revealed the silhouette of a live band settled upstage, five microphone stands downstage, and the silhouette of five girls behind the microphones. The main riff of the song began to play in its usual tempo. The spotlight focused on Brittany, who was right smacked in the middle.

_We're driving slow through the snow  
On fifth avenue  
And right now, radio's all that we can hear  
Now we ain't talked since we left  
It's so overdue  
It's cold outside, but between us  
It's worse in here_

Another spotlight was placed on the right side of the blonde where, in deviation from the traditional order of the original, Santana sung the second verse, skipping its first round of pre-chorus and chorus.

_Everyday seven takes of the same old scene  
Seems we're bound by the laws  
Of the same routine  
Gotta talk to you now 'fore we go to sleep  
But will we sleep  
Once I tell you what's hurting me_

A third spotlight on stage lit up. Kurt leaned towards Quinn and whispered, "Since when did we have three spotlights in this auditorium?" Quinn shrugged. The answer, obviously, was "just now."

Ashley, at the left of Brittany, sang the beginning of the pre-chorus, a bit faster than when she had during the intro.

_The world… slows down…  
But my heart beats fast right now._

Once again, Santana and Brittany harmonized with the redhead.

_And I know… this is… the part…  
Where the end starts._

Stage lights turned up as the girls sang the chorus, at the same time dancing to the beat of the song, using their mic stands as props.

_I can't take it any longer  
Thought that we were stronger  
All we do is linger  
Slipping through our fingers  
I don't want to try now  
All that's left is goodbye to  
Find a way that I can tell you_

The girls took their poses as Brittany took to the last lines of the chorus.

_I hate this part right here  
I hate this part right here  
I just can't take your tears  
I hate this part right here_

Ashley took lead of the Bridge, with the others harmonizing with her and singing in wherever it is appropriate as suggested by the original version.

_I know you'll ask me to hold on  
And carry on like nothing's wrong  
But there is no more time for lies  
Cause I see sun set in your eyes_

The crowd hooted and cheered as Ashley hit the high note at the end of the Bridge. The fact that the rest of the girls flawlessly continued on to Chorus, with Santana doing much of the adlib, didn't help to contain the excitement of the audience. Even the spectators and the guests who were invited weren't able to hold their poker face any longer, and clapped heartily.

Santana made way for the ending of the song.

_But I gotta do this  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I hate this part  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
Oh…_

The girls bowed, clutching the mic stand with both hands, as the stage lights dimmed, leaving a solitary spotlight on stage. With only the piano left playing, Brittany beautifully concluded it all.

_I hate this part right here  
I hate this part right here  
I just can't take these tears  
I hate this part right here_

And, then darkness. Still, a standing ovation ensued. Every member of New Directions who were at the back of the auditorium clapped vigorously, were they not already standing, they would've surely joined the crowd in the collective ovation.

For a moment there, each one forgot their issues. It was a moment they all needed—a moment to get away from their worries, even if it lasted for just five minutes. It's an irony that this moment of _glee_ is in fact the beginning of bigger woes that they will soon find out.

* * *

_**A/N: My last update was November 2010. *shakes my head* Terrible. Happy New Year!  
**_

_**Next Chapter: [No Title Yet]**_


	37. Funding

Chapter 37

Funding

* * *

Puck stared blankly at his ceiling. It was a boring Sunday, a hundred-and-eighty degrees turn from last night's Talent Show.

It was a complete success. _Cheers_ won—no surprise there. He's pretty sure they already have enough money to go to Florida for Nationals, which is just a couple of months away, even though the final accounting was still being done (possibly at that very moment by Will, Quinn and Artie).

His thoughts wandered off to how much of a big star his girlfriend was that night. She was so beautiful. If there was any iota of doubt to her popularity, it had been wiped out by last night's events. He was so proud. And, yet, he couldn't show it.

There was a point during the celebration when he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her and tell her how proud he was of her. He wanted to hug her so tight and he wanted her to hug him back just as tight in front of all those people. He wanted them to see. He wanted them to know.

He wanted everyone to know that he was not as much of a loser as people think he is. He couldn't be. Not when he's kissing the most popular girl in school. Not when he's holding her hand.

Puck felt that being with Ashley was his saving grace from the sins he committed to Quinn, to Finn and to his own family.

But, it was all wishful thinking. Theirs was a secret relationship. No one can know, she said. And, he agreed. He agreed because it was enough to him that he had her. It didn't matter that it was just between them. At the time.

But the secret; it was taking its toll. It was too heavy to carry around. He was certain now that he hated secrets.

* * *

Rachel unwittingly created an ink blot on the paper. Her mind wandered off from what she was doing at the moment. Rachel was set to make a presentation about Chinese literature in her World Literature class Tuesday morning, and thought it was more interesting if she showed some calligraphy during her report. Finn suggested for her to just download some samples from the Internet, but she shot this idea down because it was "too convenient and uninvolved."

"Oh, shoot!" She exclaimed in a whisper as she lifted the calligraphy pen from the parchment. "Darn it."

She sighed heavily and laid the pen on the table. She was frustrated by the fact that it was still early in the day and she's already distracted. This isn't her. And, she hasn't been herself for the past couple of months. She had been stressing about Puck, the glee club, Ashley, and now Finn.

Finn. Rachel understood Finn's jealousy toward Puck. But, she just can't seem to let go of Puck that easily. She was sure that she wasn't in love with Puck—there was no doubt about that. And, there was absolutely no doubt that she was crazy about Finn; but she has been Puck's confidant for the longest time. They've created a bond that people like her don't easily create with people like him. She wanted to keep this bond. After all, it was special. And, she doesn't get special bonds very often.

Her gaze shifted for a second at the used tickets from last night's talent show that were pinned to her cork board. She smiled at the thought of Florida. The glee club was going to Nationals at a technicality, but it didn't matter to her. They were going. And, for sure now. She knew that Will, Quinn and Artie weren't done with the accounting, but she was sure they got all the money they needed to go to Miami.

Immediately, though, the smile faded at the thought of Ashley. Rachel knew that something was up. She knew Sue and Ashley were planning something. Something, obviously to her, that would result to the ruination of the glee club. The Cheerios entering the talent show? That just smacks of evil-planning Sue right there! And, what was up with that performance? Santana and Brittany getting more solos than Ashley? That doesn't make sense at all. Ashley was obviously the veteran performer in that group, and she stepped aside for those two who barely even steps up in glee club. There's something definitely amiss in that picture.

Three soft knocks on the door broke her thoughts. One of dads peeked through the opened door. "Sweetie, Finn's downstairs. Do you want me to bring him up?"

"Uh, no, dad. It's okay. I'll come down and meet him."

"All right, darling. Don't keep him waiting now. It's not polite."

"I won't. I'll just fix my stuff here. Be down in a minute."

She returned to the parchments scattered on her desk. After gathering them and putting them in a neat pile, she made her way to meet Finn.

* * *

"After expenses," Will began as he entered digits into the calculator, "we're left with 12,560 dollars!"

Artie hooted. Quinn clapped her hands.

"Not only are we going to Nationals, but we are going there with enough money to spend an extra day!"

"If we win, we get to celebrate in Miami," Quinn said.

"If we lose, we get to heal our wounds in Miami," Artie countered.

"But we're not gonna lose," Will pointed out.

"Of course not! What was I thinking?" Arties said, slapping his forehead.

A few more exchanges later, the trio decided to adjourn. With the money in a fanny pack, Will said goodbye to his students. Quinn and Artie quickly cleaned up the place before leaving.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow's group performance?" Quinn asked as Artie wheeled out of the office.

"Y-yeah. Boys will win this one, for sure."

Quinn laughed. "We'll see about that."

"So, then, _you're_ ready too?"

A tight smile formed on Quinn's lips as she eyed Artie.

"Quinn…"

"I'm ready, Artie."

"I don't mean the song."

"I know. I'm ready. Whatever happens, I'll take it." Quinn nodded when Artie didn't quit staring at her. "What of you? Are you _ready_?"

He smirked and nodded once. They, then, both looked straight and proceeded to the exit in silence. When they got closer to the door, Quinn suddenly rested a hand on Artie's shoulder.

"We'll be fine," she declared softly.

* * *

Ashley admired the 2-feet trophy on top of the mahogany dresser from across her bed. Even from afar it looked cheap; obviously something bought from the mall. And yet she was smitten by it, because she won it by a vote of the audience. Well, _they_ won it: _Cheers_. But she took it home because none of the other girls really cared about it. As was already said, it was nothing but a cheap thing.

Unlike the other girls, Ashley can see the value of the measly trophy. The manner by which it was won was what made it extraordinary. Official competitions are great—they glorify a person's talents and hard work. This, to Ashley, is not the case with the Talent Show trophy. Sure, there were talent and hard work involved in creating the entry, but those were not the winning ingredient. After all, there were no criteria for judgment that the judges could base on. There was only one factor in choosing the winner for this particular competition—popularity.

When Rachel announced the winner, it was official: Ashley owned this school. She was queen. She knew that people voted not because of Santana or Brittany or Jane or Reyna; they voted for _Cheers_ because of her. Perhaps people will find her conceited for thinking it, but it was true. And the best part about it is that she knew that everyone else knew. That's why she didn't have to say it out loud. She's never had to say it out loud. Despite the silence, though, it could not be denied that Ashley had taken over.

McKinley High Mission: Accomplished.

She tilted her head to the side and stared out of the window at the top of the tree in front of the lawn from across their house. It was already noon and she hasn't heard Artie get back yet. She wondered how the accounting went. She smiled. Of course, they got the funding to go to Miami for Nationals.

Immediately, sadness came over her. She could've been going with them. It was so much fun being in glee club. Everyone was so genuinely nice. And she was actually friends with them—Ashley finally had people to call friends! But she had to give that up because she doesn't want to be clashing with Rachel all the time.

It's not like she hated Rachel, no; Ashley didn't know her enough to hate her. But, it cannot be said that Ashley can stand being around Rachel. It takes scores of patience to be able to tolerate Rachel, she found out; patience that Ashley is in low supply of these days. In any case, she still had Santana and Brittany in _Cheers_, and she's thankful.

She returned to the trophy. Sue crossed her mind. The cheerleading coach is aiming to get _Cheers_ famous, Ashley figured. She is trying to turn the girls into some kind of fan-frenzy-generating, all-girl, song-and-dance group. It was Sue who picked the Pussycat Dolls song for the Talent Show. Sue kept asking her about Destiny's Child. One time, Sue even suggested that Ashley's screen and stage name from then on will be 'Ginger Spice' (because of her red hair, according to Sue).

Ashley was almost sure that forming _Cheers_ had something else to it than what Sue had reasoned earlier. According to Sue, Cheers was created to prevent the girls from being idle. Very unlikely. Ashley was pretty sure that during off-season, rehearsals do not mellow down for the Cheerios. The girls are never idle.

What, then? What is Sue planning?

Her cellphone vibrated against the wooden desk beside her bed. She reached out for it and checked the screen: Puckerman, it flashed. She stared at the phone as it continued to vibrate in her hand. There was no intention on her part to answer. Finally, the device stopped. "1 missed call," it read.

Ashley's arm fell on the mattress, the phone still in her hand. She stared blankly at the ceiling. After a moment, she raised the phone at eye level and dialed Puck's number.

"Babe," he said.

"Sorry, I didn't have my phone with me."

"It's all right. Are you ready? I could be there in 15 minutes."

"Yeah, I'm good." She didn't move from the bed where she laid.

"Great! I'll see you in a bit."

"Can't wait," she said cheerily.

It was true—she was excited to see Puck. She missed him. He was so close last night, and yet she couldn't touch him; she couldn't kiss him. She was beginning to hate this secret. She wished that she could just tell everyone, but it was not that simple.

Ashley had always been careful. This instance is not an excuse for her to exercise that particular trait of hers. She intricately mapped out all possible scenarios that could result from everyone knowing about them. She weighed out the consequences and found that she wasn't ready yet: she wasn't ready for people to know that Puck and her were dating.

She pulled herself up from her bed and proceeded to sit before her vanity mirror. She fixed her hair and dabbed a little bit of color on her cheeks and lips. When this was over, she grabbed her handbag and walked out of her room and out of the front door. Ashley sat on the porch and waited for an old and strident truck to come rolling down the street in front of the house.

* * *

"Where are you going?"

"Out," Puck answered before stepping down on the last step of the staircase. "I probably won't be having dinner here."

"Okay."

"Okay," Puck said as he made his way to the front door.

"Honey."

"Mom, I'm running late."

"Just… just a quick minute."

He sighed and turned to face his mother. "What?"

"Uh-um. How's Quinn?"

Puck stared back at her.

"I was just asking because I haven't really heard anything from her or about her. Is something wrong? A-are you… fighting?"

"She's just been busy. So have I. We're cool."

"Baby, I'm not…"

"Mom, it's okay. But, don't worry about us. Quinn and I, we got Summer; if anything's wrong, she'll always be the reason to make it right between us."

His mom sighed, perhaps in relief it seemed to him. She smiled.

"Can I leave now?"

She nodded. "And it's 'may' not 'can'. Seriously, is that school teaching you anything?"

He rolled his eyes and snickered. "See you later."

The roar of the engine of Puck's truck as it came to life could be heard at least 5 blocks away. He sat behind the steering wheel and waited for the engine to heat up a little. After a couple of minutes, he was on his way to Ashley's.

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Puckley_**


	38. Puckley

Chapter 38

**Puckley**

* * *

Ashley heard a distant sputter of an old engine. She knew who it was, and the knowledge of the owner of such a violently noisy truck engine cast a smile on her earlier stoic face. She stood up from the porch bench where she had been sitting for the past twenty minutes and started towards the sidewalk.

Upon stepping on the pavement between the road and the grass lawn, Ashley turned to her right and saw Puck's truck. She waited for him to stop in front of her before she crossed the road and immediately boarded the vehicle.

She turned to him as soon as she had slammed the door shut with every intention of planting a kiss on his lips. Apparently, he had the same idea because he was already grabbing her face and pulling her towards him before she realized it.

The kiss was filled with hunger. As if the deprivation had taken years. When they finally pulled away from each other, she smiled at him.

"You are so beautiful," Puck breathed.

She grinned. "As are you," she said. He grinned back.

As soon as Puck straightened himself to drive off to _their_ place, Ashley took a quick glance back at the house. Then at the nearby houses. Having been secured that nobody had seen them, she relaxed. Puck had not noticed her behavior though. He obliviously took to the task of driving away from there so he could hold Ashley without any inhibitions whatsoever.

When they got to the deserted summer camp, Puck parked the truck by the tree outside of the gates in a way that motorists passing by would not notice it. They entered the gates made of logs in the same way that they had done so the first night Puck brought her there.

It was quiet inside, except for chirping birds and tree leaves rustling from the cool springtime breeze. Puck grasped Ashley's hand firmly as he led her towards the lake. They settled at an oversized bench made from a huge tree. They were on the other side of the lake across the grassy patch where they laid down the first night they were in this summer camp together.

"The tree was struck by lightning. It was too big to move, so they just turned it into a bench. Pretty cool, huh?"

She agreed.

They sat on the bench, looking at the calm water. Ashley lifted her feet off the ground and crossed them in front of her so that both her ankles touched the wood. Puck leaned back and placed his hands behind his head.

"I've been thinking," he began. "Why don't we tell glee club? It won't be a big deal, right? It's just glee club."

"When they know, the whole school will know," Ashley retorted coolly.

Puck didn't respond to this. He was suppressing irritation. "So what?" he finally said, gritting his teeth.

"We've already talked about this."

He abruptly turned and glared at her. "What does it matter if they don't understand? I don't give a fuck."

She glared back. "Well, I do."

"Why don't you just say it?"

"Say what?"

If there was an audience, it would have been apparent now that a heated argument between the two is on its way.

"I embarrass you!"

"No!"

"Don't I?"

"No!"

"Let's tell everyone, then! Let's go to the principal's office tomorrow morning, grab the P.A. system and just make a big announcement to everyone in school. Then every student, from Freshmen to Seniors, will know that the most popular, most desirable girl in McKinley was won over by the school shmuck. A kid in a Mohawk that everyone feared when they were face to face with him, but laughed at him behind his back. A kid with no future."

Ashley sank back. Her anger subsided and turned into pity. "Puck… don't say that."

He tore away from her softened stare and concentrated on the water. "You keep telling me not to sell myself short, that I'm brilliant and talented. But you don't make me feel like you mean it. You don't really believe in me, Ash. I don't even know if you like me at all."

"I'm here with you, aren't I? Don't I let you hold me? Kiss me?"

"In secret." He turned to her, his eyes searching. "Will you be with me in school? Will you let me hold you while walking down the hallways? Will you let me give you even a small peck on the cheek in the field before every practice?"

She stared back with pleading eyes. She didn't want to answer because it would be too painful to hear.

He looked away.

"You know," he started, "when Rachel and I dated, she gripped my arm when we walked from class to class. Right there, in front of everyone."

"I'm sorry I'm not like Rachel," Ashley whispered.

"You can at least try to be like Quinn."

Ashley was surprised by this.

He proceeded. "She was fair enough to tell me straight that she didn't want to be with me."

Ashley felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. "I'm not lying to you," she croaked as she held back, with much effort, her tears. She was now somewhere between hurt and angry. "I want to be with you, just…"

"Not in public. Got it."

Ashley hung her head.

Puck began to get to his feet. "Listen, Ash, I don't think—"

"Don't!" Ashley's right hand gripped his shirt, refraining him from fully standing up. "I'm sorry," she exclaimed. "I'm sorry. You're right. You're absolutely right."

He looked at her as if he was looking at her for the first time. This is not the Ashley he knows. The Ashley he knows would have let him walk away. Not so much to let him go, but more so to get some time to think. Plan a different strategy—like what she's done in so many instances before, including the night he brought her to that summer camp.

Ashley shuffled to her feet and faced him. "O-okay. Let's tell glee club. Just… glee club. For now."

"A-are you sure?" he asked looking in her puppy dog eyes.

She managed a weak smile and nodded. "But… I… I want to be the one to tell them. And not all at the same time. I want to tell Kurt first, then Santana and Brittany."

"What about Artie?"

"He already knows. He's always known. But I didn't tell him. Well, not really. He saw us kissing that night on the lawn."

Puck was almost certain that as soon as Artie had the chance, he took that opportunity to tell Ashley off about him, Puck. There's no way Artie would approve of him and Ashley together. Unless… unless Ashley fought for him. For them. The thought suddenly confused him. Could it be? Was Ashley falling in love with him?

No news could be more wonderful! But, what is this? Puck is suddenly not sure about how _he_ feels.

* * *

Finn spent an hour in Rachel's house, with the four of them—him, Rachel and her dads—chatting in the kitchen, where Finn was acting as food taster for the Berries, who have baked four different flavors of muffins. Not that he was complaining, of course. They were all amazing to him. And, Rachel's parents were so ecstatic about Finn's reaction that they insisted that he take some home so that his mom could taste them too.

"Can I have some extra for Burt and Kurt?" Finn asked enthusiastically. Not only did they agree but they seemed to be even more excited by the prospect of more people tasting their baked goods.

Finn came over so that they could do their homework together, actually. But when Rachel asked him if he'd like to work in the dining area or the living area, he had a bit of inspiration and decided that it was too good a day outside to be staying indoors.

"Besides, we've been cooped up inside the whole day yesterday. Let's go to the park."

Rachel concurred. And it was a good idea too because when they got to the park, there weren't too many people around so they weren't in any close danger to constant distractions. They found an empty picnic table under one of the shadier trees, and after a short conversation about the talent show and Nationals, they proceeded to do homework.

By four o'clock, they had finished all their homeworks for Monday so they decided to get some frozen yogurt and to stroll in the park.

"I can't even wrap my head around the fact that this is yogurt! I mean, I could have sworn it's ice cream!"

Rachel chortled. "You always say that."

Finn sniggered too. "Only 'cause it's true."

"You shouldn't have bought the biggest one, though. You'll spoil your dinner."

"Nah," he said, sticking a large dollop of yogurt into his mouth.

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling when she did this. "How's Burt and Carol, by the way? No plans yet?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

With a patient smile on her face, Rachel sighed. "You know what I mean."

He grinned. "You're asking the wrong person, you know." She rolled her eyes again. "Anyway, you're up first tomorrow. Are you singing lead again?"

She eyed him with suspicion. "You sound like you're not happy at all with the prospect of me singing lead."

He laughed. "What? I was just asking."

She sniffed, obviously not amazed. "Well, if you must know, Quinn and I are singing lead."

One of Finn's eyebrows shot up as he turned to her. "Quinn? With you? Really?"

Rachel stopped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Finn, who had taken a couple of extra steps before realizing his girl friend had halted, returned to her and did damage control. "Babe, I just meant that you and Quinn aren't exactly… umm… jiving… too much. And, you're gonna sing a song together?"

"Oh. Well, yeah. I mean, I know, I was surprised she asked me to sing with her."

"She asked you…?"

Rachel nodded. "It's a bit weird, right? But, she did pick a great song."

"Yeah? What is it?"

She smirked as she eyed him and teasingly shook her head.

Finn laughed. "It's a secret? For real?"

"It's a surprise. And, besides, I think the song has something to do with Puck. Remember what I said about her being distracted. I still think it has something to do with Puck."

Finn sighed heavily.

"I… I'm not…"

"Rachel…"

"It's Quinn. I'm not… I promise."

Finn stared at her. He saw that Rachel was sorry she even brought up Puck's name in the conversation. He was beginning to hate himself. Why was he so jealous of Puck, anyway? He had forgiven him already. All that drama with Quinn last year is over. And, he knows that Puck loves Quinn. Not Rachel. Right?

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was pleasant for both Puck and Ashley. They didn't linger on the topic of "outing" their relationship anymore. For Ashley, when she said she was ready to tell the glee club, there was no more need to expound on it. For Puck, he got so confused at how he felt about it and didn't know what more to say—lucky for him she didn't talk about it further.

It was nearing sunset when they decided to leave the camp. It was a school day the next day and Ashley was adamant on finishing up on some homework that she left on her desk.

"I'm sure, Artie's home already. I'm excited to know how much you guys got for your Nationals trip!"

"I'm sure we got tons of money for that now," Puck said. He turned to her and smiled. "All thanks to you."

"…and to Coach Sylvester."

His face fell instantly upon hearing the name and returned to the road. "What's her angle?"

"Don't worry about her. She's just trying to get the publicity for her Cheerios. You know how she is."

Puck shook his head. "I don't know. Somehow, I'm just not convinced. She helped us earn money for _our_ Nationals. That's just so not like her."

"Hey," Ashley said as she touched his arm. "Don't worry. I thought it over too. There's nothing. I couldn't find anything in her actions that would somehow sabotage New Directions. It's all gonna be fine."

"Yeah… maybe you're right."

Just then, Puck's phone rang. Ashley moved away as he dug on his pocket for phone. She turned to the window as he said, "Hey!"

"Uh… I'm out right now. Is she okay?

Ashley turned to look at him. She figured he was speaking to Quinn.

"Sounds good." Puck turned to Ashley when he realized she was staring at him. "Yeah, I'm driving. I'll talk see you later, okay?" After a moment of silence on his end, he said, "Bye."

"Who was that?" Ashley asked.

"Quinn. She invited me to have dinner at their place."

"Are you going to?"

"Uh… Yeah. Mrs. Schuester cooks awesome! And, Sum—"

"Oh, okay," she said, leaning back against her seat and turning to the window.

Puck glanced at her then back to the road a couple of times before asking, "Wassamater?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, it don't look like nothing. What happened?"

Ashley turned to him abruptly with a stern look. "You're having dinner at Quinn's place."

"Yeah. So what?"

"So, maybe, I was going to ask you to have dinner at my place. But now I can't because you already made plans with another girl."

Puck gripped the wheel harder as he tried to take in what Ashley just said. He realized that his pause took longer than was acceptable when he heard her groan with disappointment, said "seriously, Puckerman," and returned to the passenger side window.

"You were gonna ask me to have dinner at your place?" He finally said.

"Well, we won't really know now, will we?" She said with an obvious air of animosity.

"But… you never asked me inside your house."

Ashley sighed. She slowly turned to him, calmer now and as if humbled by what he had just said. "I know. And I'm sorry. But… it's different now. I would love it if you had dinner at my house tonight."

"I-it's not your house, you said. It's Artie's."

"I know that. But, we're just gonna have dinner, so it's not a problem. Artie's parents are really nice."

"What about Artie? I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me."

"Of course, he does! You're in glee club together."

"He doesn't like me for you."

Ashley shook her head. "Artie loves me—"

"I don't doubt that. But I don't think he approves—"

"Puckerman!" Ashley, obviously frustrated, looked toward the road and folder her arms in front of her. "Look, if you don't want to have dinner at my house then just say so. If you'd rather go to Quinn's, just say so. You don't have to use Artie as your excuse."

Puck calmly moved the truck to the side of the road. As soon as he came to a full stop, he turned to Ashley and took her face in his hands. "Hey, what's happening here? Are you jealous?"

She didn't answer; she just stared blankly at him, concealing all sorts of emotions.

Puck's face slowly figured into a smile. "You are, aren't you?"

"Don't even."

"I didn't think you could be any cuter. Jealous—"

"Get off me, Puckerman!" Ashley pulled away from him, but he was quick to get her back to him and kiss her. She couldn't help but relax and move her lips along with his.

He broke the kiss, but didn't pull away. "I would be honored to have dinner at your place tonight; with your family." Ashley smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck, gave him a quick kiss and thanked him.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: End of the Line**_


	39. End of the Line

Chapter 39

End of the Line

* * *

It was the first time that Puck had entered Artie's house but the Abrams were not completely unfamiliar with Puck. The boy is not difficult to spot on the stage whenever New Directions are performing, or even anywhere in town actually. The Mohawk was a signature cut for Puck and people remember him mainly for his hairstyle. Besides, apart from being the pool cleaning boy, what happened between him and Quinn has been a topic of conversation in the small town of Lima. He may as well be considered a celebrity in that part of Ohio.

The Abrams were very gracious, of course. Aside from the fact that Puck was Ashley's guest, they are some of the most polite people in Lima. The dinner was in fact nice. Puck was very engaging and made non-stop conversation with Artie's parents. Everybody at the table were laughing and smiling for the most part of dinner, except Artie. He was very quiet and faked a smile during the entire time they were gathered around that table. Ashley was not oblivious to this, but she was not going to allow Artie to spoil the wonderful time she's having.

After Puck left, Ashley said goodnight to her aunt and uncle and went straight to her bedroom. A few minutes after she had entered her room, and while she was fixing her things for school the next day, she heard a knock on her door. It was Artie.

"Hey," he said cautiously.

"Hi," she said, not pausing from her current occupation.

Neither spoke after. There were only the sounds of papers being stacked together and school items being stuffed in a school bag. This went on for a few minutes until Ashley was finally done.

She returned to Artie and asked, "What?"

It took a second for him to answer, but he was straightforward when he did. "I can't believe you brought him here."

"Why not? We _are_ dating."

Artie blinked.

"I'm telling everyone," Ashley continued. "Well, not everyone everyone. Just glee club… for now."

"Are you sure about this, Ash?"

She sighed and offered a smile. "I think I'm in love with him."

"But you've known him—"

"I know. I know it's not enough time. But it's just so… different… with him. Maybe he's the one. You know?"

Artie's lips pressed into a line. He shrugged. "I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she uncertainly shook her head. "I won't…"

He smiled politely and nodded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," Ashley said while watching him wheel out of her room.

* * *

Quinn made her way to Rachel when she saw her by her locker pulling out a couple of books. "Are you ready for later?"

Rachel, now aware of Quinn's presence and needing nothing more from her locker, closed the door slowly and turned to Quinn. "When was I ever not ready?" There was no spite in Rachel's reply; instead, bewilderment. Not so much on Quinn's query, but on the way she had asked.

"Okay, good. It better be perfect." Her tone was firm, but distracted.

"It will. We practiced almost three hours every day," Rachel said studying Quinn. "What's bothering you?"

Quinn looked at Rachel as if it should have been obvious already. "Our piece. We should win this one, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Rachel exhaled. "Quinn, I'm not so dense so as to not notice that you're acting… different."

Rachel saw that Quinn was surprised, and looked a bit concerned. But it only went on for a second and Quinn quickly rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "Really, Rachel."

"I…" Rachel said as she caught up to her. "You can tell me, you know."

Quinn stopped and looked at Rachel, studying her face for a moment. "Fine. What do you want me to say?"

"You're acting all funky because of Noah, aren't you?"

"What?" Quinn hissed. Rachel's eyes widened.

"That's it!" Rachel retorted in the same whispered hiss.

Quinn paused and looked at the door sign right above Rachel. She gently nudged Rachel into the restroom. Once inside, she casually checked the cubicles to see if they were alone. "I swear to God, if you say anything," Quinn began as she returned to face Rachel, "I will hurt you so bad."

Although it would have passed off as a legitimate threat, Rachel was not the least bit bothered. She was more concerned of Quinn's demeanor. She just wanted Quinn to have a release as to what's bothering her. Quinn seemed to realize this, as she began to slowly relax.

"I… I'm trying to reach out to him. Like, really trying. I don't… I don't know why he's being so distant. I really thought he's changed. But, I guess…" Quinn took a step closer to Rachel. "I know you guys are friends. I mean, closer than what you let on. Ha—has he said anything to you about… anything?"

The wheels in Rachel's head began to turn. Puck's being weird and distant to her, and obviously, as she had already guessed, he's been weird and distant to Quinn as well. Rachel shook her head in response to Quinn's inquiry, and said, "To be honest, I don't… well, we haven't really spoken to each other these past few weeks. So…"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed. What is going on with Puck, she thought.

"Is that why you chose the song?" Rachel asked, interrupting Quinn's pondering.

"What?" Quinn asked, a bit dazed.

"The song that we're singing this afternoon. Is it for Noah?"

Quinn's lips formed a tight line; she nodded once. Quinn huffed and started to the door. "I'll see you later, Rach," she said as she passed Rachel.

Before Rachel could respond, Quinn had already left the restroom.

* * *

Finn entered the auditorium wheezing. Will and the rest of the boys were already scattered in the audience seats.

"I thought I was late," he whispered as he made his way past the wheelchair and onto a seat just one space away from Artie.

"You're just in time," Artie said.

The stage was dim. The band settled upstage. Nine microphone stands placed downstage—four in front, five at the back. One by one the girls took to their places.

"Hi. I'm Rachel Berry."

Finn's eyes widened as he discreetly roamed his eyes to the other guys seated in front of him.

"We'd like to dedicate this song to a very good friend. Thank you."

As if on cue, the drummer started off the song.

Quinn took the first verse. Staring blankly into the dark as the spotlight bathed her.

_All alone I wait for you  
As darkness fills this room  
I don't know why you ain't called_

Artie looked at the boy in the Mohawk a couple of rows below him.

_Little things you used to do  
They're no longer part of you  
Seems you left them all behind_

Rachel, who shared the front center with Quinn, made way for the chorus, sang—

_Well, I can't believe what I'm going through  
This thing, it just ain't right  
Your selfish ways,  
How you carry on,  
Some things you just can't hide._

The rest of the girls blended for the chorus, with Quinn taking charge of the solos.

_(If you want me to go)  
Then say it,  
(Want me to stay)  
Then show it,  
(Don't be afraid, ooh)  
Oh don't break this heart of mine,  
Now's the time… if I'm right,  
Then we've come to the end of the line._

_So say it  
(want me to stay)  
Then show it  
(don't be afraid)  
Oh, don't break this heart of mine  
Now's the time, if I'm right  
Then we've come to the end of the line  
Ohh, oh yeah._

The next verse was Rachel's, and she put in her heart in her singing more than usual because she meant every word.

_Seems like I can't do you right,  
All I do or say is wrong,  
All the smallest things criticized._

Finn's eyes can't help but focus on the boy in the Mohawk.

_I deserve some damn respect,  
Nothing more and nothing less,  
Don't pretend everything's fine._

Quinn held on to the mic and shut her eyes tightly as she sang—

_Don't hold it back,  
If it's in your heart,  
Stand up and be a man,  
Can't read your mind,  
So I'll just say it loud,  
I'm trying to understand._

The girls came together again for the chorus, doing their choreography in unison and Quinn still taking charge of the solo parts. When it came to it, Rachel made way for the bridge…

_Even though you've doing me wrong  
I still care,  
Do you think that by treating me cruel  
That somehow I'll disappear?_

…and Quinn took it home in a most powerful way that the auditorium has never seen or heard from her before.

_Baby I love you too much just to walk away.  
Don't make me hate you,  
Baby you've got to be straight._

Puck watched motionless through it all. He heard every word and knew that it was for him; it was about him. Whether or not any one else from the guys realized this didn't matter to him. He was breaking up inside as it was. Two girls he absolutely cared about are hurting because of him. How did he end up doing that? Why does it always have to be him who kept doing that?

When the song ended, everyone in the audience applauded. That is, everyone except Artie, Finn and Puck.

"Awesome job, guys," Will called. On his way towards the exit, he reminded the boys that they were due tomorrow and they better step it up because the girls did a really great job today.

* * *

_**A/N: The song is "End of the Line" by Honeyz**_

_**Next Chapter: Realizations**_


	40. Realizations

Chapter 40

Realizations

* * *

Sue Sylvester watched as Ashley left her office. They had just finished with their pre-training meeting, where she and the redhead had brainstormed over a new routine that the Cheerios could perform in the coming state fair. Sue has booked her girls to perform in the talent show for the fair. Ashley was very excited, she saw. She loved the girl's enthusiasm because it made the rest of the squad just as enthusiastic.

Sue smiled. Everything was coming along perfectly for her. In fact, she's never been so relaxed in executing her evil plans to destroy glee club.

-00-00-00-

Ashley was on her way to the field to meet with her squad and tell them wonderful news when she passed by the auditorium's balcony door. She heard music playing. She couldn't resist the temptation and tried to see if the door was unlocked. It was. The music became louder when she made a crack at the door and it was all she could take. She went in to see the Glee Club's rehearsal.

She saw the girls on stage with microphone stands in front of each of them. The song was vaguely familiar to her, but she thought the girls were totally rocking it. She was surprised to see Quinn getting half of the solos, though; only because Rachel usually took the spotlight.

Her eyes scanned the dimmer area of the audience seats. The stage lights softly illuminated the faces of the guys so that she was able to tell them apart. Ashley stayed her gaze at Puck and smiled. Until she realized that he was staring intently on stage… at Quinn. Or is it Rachel? Both girls were taking over the song's bridge, she couldn't tell.

"Awesome job, guys," she heard Will call. He was already standing up when her attention shifted to him. She quickly and quietly turned to leave the auditorium.

* * *

"Puck," Artie called before the jock could walk past him in the auditorium.

"Yeah, man?"

"C—can we talk?"

Puck glanced at the exit then returned to Artie. "Now? I got baseball practice."

"It won't be long."

Puck signaled for Perry to go on ahead. "All right. What's up, Artie?" he asked when the auditorium emptied out.

"I love my cousin. She's my best friend," Artie began.

Puck snorted. "Is this some kind of… warning? You're gonna tell me not to hurt Ash or else?"

Artie shook his head. "No. I don't have any 'or else' to threaten you with. If you haven't noticed, I'm confined in a chair. It's not like I can run you over with my wheels." Puck wiped off the condescending grin on his face as Artie proceeded. "I'm here to _ask_ you to think about… stuff."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Puck said glancing at the door.

"I think you do. You're being unfair to her and I don't think she deserves it."

"How am I doing that? I did everything she wanted me to do, even though I didn't like them, I did them for her. I practically worship your cousin. Don't judge me when it comes to her. I'd give my arms for her."

"But not your heart."

Puck was taken aback by this and was at a loss for words.

Artie started to wheel himself out of the room. "Just think about it, Puckerman. You don't want to keep hurting people. Especially not those who actually care about you."

Puck walked to the locker room dazed, the same feeling he had that time he was tackled from behind after the whistle for halftime had already blown. Artie was like that guy who made that dirty tackle—it came from behind and he wasn't ready for it. It shook him up.

He was reminded of his confusion over how he actually felt for Ashley. He liked her, sure. She's been the most amazing thing that ever happened to him. But is there anything more? He didn't know. Or maybe he did know and just didn't want to face that reality.

His confusion added upon hearing Artie's final words before leaving. Did Artie mean Quinn and Rachel? Does Artie know what's going on? How? In any case, Puck knew Artie was right.

He hated this. He hated going back to having to deal with things by himself. He got so used to having Rachel around to help him cope, but now that he's pushed her away…. Puck clawed his head. He was successfully screwing up his life once again.

* * *

Finn had left the auditorium without waiting for Rachel. He saw her by the bleachers during practice but he didn't acknowledge her. Before heading to the showers, Rachel raced to catch up to him. He had to stop when she called his name.

"I was worried when I didn't see you after our performance," she told him.

"Ah… I was running late for practice. The, uh, coach… asked me to be early." He wouldn't look at her.

"Oh… okay. Well, I'll wait for you at your car, okay?"

"Actually," Finn said stopping and looking at her, "I was kind of thinking if you could maybe catch a ride with Kurt. I, uh, need to spend some time with the guys. Just for some soda or something… before dinner."

"K-Kurt?"

"I already asked him. H—he's still in the home ec room finishing on a project. You could—"

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, nodding a little bit too vigorously. "S—sure. I'll just… I'm just gonna go there now. I—I'll talk to you later?"

"Y—yeah." He said, nodding. "I gotta hit the—"

"Sure."

And he left without another word.

Inside the locker rooms, Finn was quiet and took his time in the shower. He had blocked the noise from all the other guys and just thought things through. He thought about Rachel, trying to figure out her fixation on Puck. He thought about Puck, wondering if he would really go and betray him again. He didn't want to be paranoid and jealous, for sure. Unfortunately, that's what being lied to happened to him. He had become paranoid and jealous.

Dinner at the Hummel residence caused Finn's spirits to uplift a little. Burt and Carol had asked him and Kurt if it would be okay for the Hudsons to move in with the Hummels. This time around, his reaction was the exact opposite of his response the year before when the same proposal was laid out to him.

Now, Finn loved Burt like a father. And Kurt like a brother. And seeing how happy his mother was having Burt and Kurt in their lives, he really couldn't have opposed to it even if he tried.

"I'm surprised you haven't talked Burt into buying a dishwasher. I mean, come on."

"Oh you underestimate me. We're having it installed on Wednesday. This house has gotten too crowded. Too many plates are being used."

Finn's snicker came in chorus with the clang of a plate atop another as Kurt soaped each one. "So," Kurt began, giving Finn a quick glance. "You wanna tell me now why I had to bring Rachel home today?"

Finn sighed. Kurt continued with the dishes and waited in silence.

"I don't know what to do, man."

"Oh…kay. You wanna keep me up to speed here? Man?"

Finn sighed heavily and adjusted on his seat. "Don't tell me you didn't see what was happening during the girls' performance awhile ago."

Kurt shrugged. "I'm not…"

"Aw, c'mon, Kurt! The song. Rachel said it was dedicated to a friend. You know this."

"Finn…"

"Tell me it wasn't about Puck."

"I can't do that."

"I don't know what to do."

Kurt sighed and turned to face Finn. "You look horrible." Finn rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, you look so stressed than I've ever seen you."

Finn smirked. "Ever? Are you sure?"

"Ever. That definitely includes the time Quinn was pregnant and you, well, we all thought you were the father. I think it's because you kind of had that instinct of a dad, that's why you weren't too stressed."

"Believe me, I _was _stressed."

"Well, then, it didn't show."

"Am I such a bad boyfriend that I'm not figuring this out on my own?"

Kurt smiled. "Well, I've never had a boyfriend so I'm not sure about the difference between a good boyfriend and a bad boyfriend, so I can't answer your question. But I know you're a good guy. I'm sure about that. Don't beat yourself up too much about all these things."

"Thanks. But that doesn't really help me out with my problems with Puck and Rachel."

"Okay, look. I'm tired of you being all weird like this. How about you just kind of give yourself a chance to think things through? Maybe you need time away from Rachel to consider what really is bothering you. I mean, 'cause if you can't trust Rachel, then you should really, really think about being in a relationship with her."

Finn gaped at Kurt. It was the most forward thing he's ever said to him. And he's got a point.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I'm still really struggling finishing this story. :(


	41. Honest

Chapter 41

Honest

* * *

Artie practiced his solo for tomorrow's group performance for glee. Ashley was inconspicuously parked by the door of his open bedroom, listening and watching quietly.

"It's beautiful."

He turned to her, smiled and said thanks.

"Did you choose that song?"

"Yeah. Well, no, actually, Quinn helped."

She smiled and nodded. "I'm sure Tina will like it."

He sighed. "I don't know. I don't know if this is the right thing to do. She might hate me for this."

"It's a serenade. Why would she hate you?"

He shrugged. "For pushing my luck? Maybe I'll just make a fool of myself. I don't know."

"Just try. If you really want her, then it _is_ worth the try, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"So," Artie began, "have you told Kurt yet? I mean, about you and— you know."

Ashley shook her head. "I didn't have the chance today. I'm really busy with Cheers and all that."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Cheers? What for?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Coach Sylvester got us a gig at the state fair. The girls are really excited about it. Jacob will run the news in his blog. We're set to have an interview with him too. It's super cool, right? This could be the start of something big for us. Girl groups are coming back!"

Artie smiled. She seemed so happy about the prospect of it. "That's great. I'm sure you'll be a big hit."

"I hope so. This could open up a whole lot of opportunities for the girls. We got one of the AV kids setting up a set of accounts for us—YouTube, Twitter, Facebook page, a website. Hopefully a lot more people will take notice. I really enjoy singing with them. And, dancing! All of my favorite stuff to do, I get to do with them."

"And you're all really good at it too."

"I know, right? Even Jane and Reyna are getting the hang of it. They're getting singing lessons, if you can believe it. Everybody's got their hearts in this."

"I'm really happy for you, Ash."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Well, I won't keep you anymore. You should rest, you got a big day tomorrow." And with that, she left him alone.

* * *

It was 6:45am. Kurt parked his car on the lot and quietly walked into the school without so much as a glance at his surrounding. It was too early and there were barely any students on the grounds. The school itself had just opened its doors.

He couldn't sleep well so he decided to quit trying and pulled himself out of bed and decided to leave. His conversation with Finn the night prior nagged him. Mercedes' reprimand kept flashing in his head. _Leave it alone_, she said.

_I'm not doing anything wrong_._ Finn is like a brother to me. That's all. My advice last night was level-headed. There was no personal gain behind it. It was just an honest observation._

And yet, he was tossing and turning the whole night. Was it guilt? He didn't know. But what he did know was that Finn was not handling things well with Rachel. Whether or not Rachel had feelings for Puck was not even relevent. Kurt cared more about Finn than he did about Rachel. And if Finn is losing it because of his paranoia over how Rachel really views Puck, then it might be best to end his misery and just let her go.

Kurt opened his locker to get his books for his first two classes in the morning until he realized that he left his homework assignment in the car. It was very quiet in the halls, he noticed as he made his way to the lot. He was the only one in school, still.

He decided to take the back exit of the building instead. He's got too much time to kill and McKinley is rarely this quiet. He actually liked strolling through its hallowed halls.

Once outside, Kurt noticed from across the lot a familar blue Prius. _Ashley's_, he thought to himself. _She's early_. He climbed down the steps with the intention of making his way to his car, which was parked a couple of spaces away from the Prius. But he quickly halted. He saw Ashley's back was on the closed backdoors of her car, with Puck leaning down to her.

He kissed her. Kurt's lips parted in surprise. Her hands grabbed his neck; it was obvious now that she was kissing him back. Kurt's jaw fell.

The rumbling of an incoming school bus snapped Kurt into consciousness; it also broke the kiss between Puck and Ashley. Kurt backtracked his steps and made way for the nearest corner. He stood against the wall, unmoving; confused at what he just saw.

_Did I see that? Was it real? It can't, can it?Ashley and... Puck?_

Kurt turned and slowly made way to the parking lot as a couple of cars passed him. Ashley and Puck were nowhere in sight. He scanned the vicinity and found neither. On his way back inside the school, he saw Artie getting dropped off by his dad. He quickly bolted inside and went straight to his locker to get his books for first period.

* * *

"Hey," Puck said as he entered the student council office.

It was lunch time and Quinn was alone in the office finishing up an assignment for her next class. She looked up from her desk, took a deep breath when she saw it was Puck, leaned against the back of her chair and nodded once. "What's up?"

He entered the room cautiously and sat on the nearest available chair to him—considerably far from where Quinn was. "Are you okay to talk?" he asked, looking at the papers scattered on the table.

Quinn's eyes flicked towards the table as well, but she immediately returned to look at him and said, "For a few minutes."

Puck nodded. He brushed his mohawk with his right hand before pushing his butt at the edge of his seat. "A—Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Stoic.

Puck hesitated. "You... I was... I was listening yesterday at glee. Are you mad at me?"

Stone-faced and unflinching, she affirmed, "Yes."

"Wha—"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Really? You don't know?"

"Is it because of the other night? I texted you. I was—"

"Busy. Yeah." Her frustration was getting the best of her and she was beginning to unravel right before him. "I don't get you. I don't. You say one thing and then you do another. Why don't you just be straight with me? I'm looking like a frigging idiot waiting on you for something that you're not gonna do."

"Hey. That's unfair, Quinn. You don't know how it is to look like an idiot; running around after you like a pathetic dog."

"I did NOT do that to you. I told you to stop even before you began. I told you straight to your face that I didn't want to be with you. I was ruthless and cold, I know that. But I was honest, Puck. I was honest to you because you are my baby's dad."

He didn't say anything to refute what she'd just said.

"You're not being honest with me right now," she continued, calmer this time. "Something's going on with you..."

His eyes went straight to look at hers, as if asking if she knew anything.

"I don't know what it is exactly, but whatever it is, it's pulling you away from me. From Summer. And I hope that it's all worth it."

"Quinn, I..."

She waited for him to continue but he didn't. She knew that he wouldn't. She wasn't going to know anything today. Quinn sighed. "Look, I really... I really need to finish this."

Puck nodded as he looked at the papers scattered on her desk. "Right." He stood up quietly and left the office without looking back.

Quinn's eyes watered; but she breathed in deeply and held the tears back from escaping. She didn't have the time to cry about petty things like this. There were too many things to be done.

* * *

"Okay," Ashley said as she sat beside Kurt in study hall. "I have gift certificates for Ovadia & Sons. It came in the mail yesterday. They're fairly new in the fashion world but I think they're super stylish and you will definitely love their clothes. They don't have a shop here in Ohio, though. But we can shop online! I saw a really wicked pair of orange pants that I think you will like."

"Ash, why were you kissing Puck this morning?"

"What?"

"I saw you in the parking lot by your car. You had your hands around his neck. You were kissing."

Ashley didn't see this coming. She was going to tell Kurt, of course. But in her own time, she figured. But she was given an opportunity to come clean and she was going to take it. "I'm with him now, Kurt. We're... dating."

Kurt's face fell. "I told you—"

"No, I know. And when I said that I was staying away, I meant that. But things changed. I don't even know how it happened. It just did, I guess."

"Puck is not the boy for you. Ashley, you are beautiful and amazing. He's... not."

She smiled at his concerned face. "He is to me. You don't know him the way I do. He's sweet to me. He takes care of me. And he's loyal. I ask him to do things and he does it for me. He's a great guy, Kurt. If you just... give him a chance to show it."

"Honey," he said, taking her hands in his, "you only think you know him, but you don't. I do. We've been in the same class every year since middle school. He's not the one for you."

Ashley's smile faded and she took her hands away from his. "I appreciate your concern but I'm not breaking up with him."

"Ash, I just—"

"Look, please don't tell anyone. I want to be able to tell everyone myself. In my own time. Okay?"

"S—sure."

Ashley smiled as a 'thank you' and nodded. "But you're not mad at me, though?" she quickly asked.

Kurt's eyebrows knotted, but he smiled. "What? Of course, not."

She grinned and gave him a quick hug.

* * *

The girls scattered about the audience seats in the auditorium, waiting for the boys to do their performance for glee club assignment. Will was already at his usual place on the judge's table that faced the stage. The lights were bright on the stage and the band was doing sound check. The boys walked out (Artie obviously wheeled himself), bringing with them stools and microphones, and set up a simple line from one end of the stage to another.

In one of the halls, a girl in a Cheerios uniform sprinted—light on her feet—as she made her way to the auditorium. Ashley was not going to miss this one performance. Artie's worked so hard on it and for all the things she'd missed with her cousin, she hoped that her being there for this would at least make up for a quarter of that. She quietly slipped at the back, careful not to be noticed. The boys were already sat on the stools across the stage.

There was no introduction; just a soft but unmistakable: "One. Two. Three." And the band began to play.

Finn started the verse:

_Darlin' I can't explain  
Where did we lose our way  
Girl it's drivin' me insane_

Puck followed:

_And I know I just need one more chance  
To prove my love to you  
If you come back to me  
I'll guarantee  
That I'll never let you go_

The boys joined in the chorus. It was simple but perfectly smooth.

_Can we go back to the days our love was strong  
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong  
Can somebody tell me how to get things back  
The way they used to be  
Oh God give me a reason  
I'm down on bended knee_

And then, Artie:

_I'll never walk again until you come back to me  
I'm down on bended knee_

Ashley half-smiled at the irony of the lyrics. She felt like it was almost cruel that Artie would sing those lines. This song.

Before the bridge came, she turned to find Tina. When she found her, all she could see was the the back of the Asian's head. She wondered if Tina would get it; feel it. Ashley returned to look at Artie as he forcefully sang:

_I'm gonna swallow my pride  
Say I'm sorry  
Stop pointing fingers the blame is on me  
I want a new life  
And I want it with you  
If you feel the same  
Don't ever let it go  
You gotta believe in the spirit of love  
It'll heal all things  
It won't hurt any more  
No I don't believe our love's terminal  
I'm down on my knees begging you please  
Come home_

It was almost torture for Ashley to look at her cousin crumble like that. It was all so honest, the way he sang it.

Tina stared at the stage, at Artie. Something's up, she thought.

The boys harmonized perfectly. Artie took all the adlibs of the song as they concluded. When it ended, all the girls and Will clapped. And, Ashley ever so quietly slipped out of the auditorium.


End file.
